Hospitality
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: Who knew that helping Erza unpack would lead to all this?
1. Chapter 1

Hospitality

Chapter 1

It wasn't like it was the best of ideas from the get go. It was actually one of her impulsive thoughts that found its way out of her mouth, causing her almost immediately to regret it.

"Stay with you?" Jellal repeated as Meredy, who was at his side, grinned. "Why would we-"

Never one to ever admit that she was having second thoughts about something (especially after only having a moment to think it over), Erza only smiled back.

"It would be just silly to camp outside of Magnolia or even pay for a motel. And I just bought this new house," she went on. She'd met Jellal and Meredy as she was headed there, actually, to her home. "And besides, I could use your help."

"My help?'

"Both of you," she said, nodding at them. "You can stay in my place and help me unpack a little, if you don't mind. This is the first time I have lived outside of Fairy Hills, and I seemed to have acquired many things."

"Well-" Jellal started, but his younger associate wasn't going to let the opportunity pass.

"Of course we'll help you, Erza," the pink haired wizard said, grinning at her. "We'd love to."

Jellal glanced at her, but Meredy was still only grinning at Erza, who nodded in return before setting off once more.

"I am just coming from the guild, in fact," she told them as they took to following her. They had actually been headed to Fairy Tail as well given that anytime they were in town, Meredy liked to drop in.

…And though he'd never admit it, so did Jellal. A lot.

"Was Juvia there?' Meredy asked, falling more into step with her as Jellal hung back, still trying to figure a way out of staying with Erza. But if she really did have the room, he figured it'd be nice for Meredy to have a chance to stay in an actual home for once. They mostly spent all their time camping out, after all.

"Actually, no," Erza said. "It was very peculiar. Yesterday, it seemed everyone was around when I went to round up some people to help me carry all of my stuff from Fairy Hills to my new home. But today, when I showed up, there was no one there, but Mirajane."

"Really?"

"I think they might have been hiding from me," she admitted. Then, balling up her fist, she punched it into her open palm, as if in annoyance. "If I find this to be true then, well, I will take matters into my own hands. There is not a single one of them that I would not have helped move, much less unpack."

Jellal's eyes widened. Clearing his throat, he spoke up.

"How much stuff did you say there was, Erza?" he asked, reading the actions of her guild mates easily, it giving him a very foreboding feeling. If they didn't even want to help their 'queen' then what the heck were he and Meredy doing?

"Not much," she assured him, though he could hear the hesitance in her voice at that. "Believe me, there's hardly anything at all."

In all his years he had never seen 'hardly anything' turn out to be so much. So very, very much.

"What is all this?" Meredy asked as, after making it to Erza's tiny home, they went inside to discovered boxes upon boxes. "Erza?"

"According to Lucy," she said as she led them in, "I have a problem with throwing things away."

Jellal only blinked. "I could understand that sort of diagnosis, yes."

She sent him a look. "You do not understand. Most of these things are armor and such."

"You do have quite the arsenal of armor," Meredy agreed slowly.

"Yes," she agreed. "That is simply what they do not understand. And then I have my high number of costumes-"

"Costumes?" Jellal asked.

"Mmmhmm. I do not know if you are aware or not, but I am quite the actress."

"Really now?"

"Of course," she said, glancing over at him. "Ask anyone."

"I'll take your word for it," he mumbled though, after having done so with her lie about how many boxes there were, he wasn't so sure that was a good idea.

Erza showed them both to the only two guest rooms she had in her home. One had a bed in it, which Jellal readily gave to Meredy, while the other was mostly bare.

"I figured it would be nice to sleep on hardwood floor than it would be dirt," Erza explained to him.

"It shall," he agreed as he went to set his pack down on the floor. "I thank you, Erza, for your hospitality."

And because Meredy was off in the other room, it was only the two of them meaning they both felt that awkwardness, the lack of honesty and past relations between the two of them that filled the silence. Eventually, Erza bowed out, telling him the bathroom was at the end of the hall and she'd be in the living room, taking care of the boxes.

Though a shower sounded nice, Jellal allowed Meredy to get a crack at it first, which she immediately took. He did remind her though that they were guests and in the house of a woman that he did not always have the best relationship with. Meredy only patted him on the shoulder though and grinned.

"It's a relationship now, is it?"

"Well of course it is. Just as I have a relationship with everyone I know. I-"

"You don't have to explain it to me," she giggled as he only made a face, out there in the hallway. Meredy just turned to walk into the bathroom then. "I won't take long. Then you can have your turn, huh?"

After she disappeared into the bathroom, he was left with facing Erza once more. And though that wasn't as daunting of a task as it had once been, it still did bring him some hesitance every time it happened. When he came upon her though, she was busy pulling different weapons out of a box, daggers and other blades of sorts, making him hesitant.

"I can help," he announced as he came closer. "With whatever you'd like."

Erza only glanced at him with a slight smile. "How about you start on the boxes on the other side of the room, yes? I have indicated on each of them where the stuff inside them belongs. Most of it should be armor and such, which I plan on putting in the room you are currently using."

He bowed his head before going to do as she asked.

"I fear though that tomorrow we shall not be able to help you much," he told her as he picked up a box and turned to carry it into the other room. "Meredy and I are tracking a dark guild, after all. If things pan out right, we might not even stay here for more than the night."

"My home is open whenever you are in town," she told him simply. "I find myself to rather enjoy guests. Though, now that I have a place for him, I am slightly worried Natsu will spend as much time here as he does with at Lucy's. Perhaps whichever has more food will be how he decides."

"Sounds like him," Jellal agreed.

They spent some time in just that way, going around and moving boxes, unpacking them. Eventually Meredy joined them though, after she mentioned she wished to see some of the other guild members, Erza quickly dismissed her to head down to Fairy Tail.

"If you can find them," she said, "then let them all know that I shall be hunting them down very shortly. So they all had better have the best of excuses."

And then there were two. Jellal could see it in her eyes too, Meredy's, as she left. For some reason she'd always liked to…tease him about Erza. She thought it was funny. It was hardly humorous to him, however, leaving him unable to understand why she found it to be.

Then again, humor wasn't his strong suit. Perhaps there was something he was just missing about the whole thing?

Still though, he and Erza worked diligently. They both had that quality about them, the way that if they were given something to do, they just did it. There were hardly any words between them, but not in an awkward way. No, with something to do, they were both finally able to act normal around one another, striving towards a common goal.

"Erza," Jellal did find himself calling out at one point. "This box had bedroom written on it. I'm assuming it goes in yours, but-"

"It's probably clothes," he heard her respond from above. She was up in the attic, the stairs that led there having pulled down from the hallway. "It's right next door to the room Meredy is using. Just take them in there, please."

"Right, of course," he said, heading off that way. For some reason though, he got a knot in his stomach about it. Which was just plain silly. It was just a room. Her room. That she hardly even had had a chance to use yet.

It was probably the weight of the box that made him uncertain though. It felt far too heavy to just be clothes. So, upon entering her mostly bare bedroom, he went to set the box on the bed before opening it.

"Ah," he said upon opening it. "It's only novels. That is-"

He stopped though as his eyes fell to the title of one of the books. And then the next.

"I did not know that Erza was into romance novels," he mumbled, still slightly shocked. He had taken her more for an action or adventure type of person. Then, smiling slightly, he remarked softly to himself, "Well, I suppose she gets enough of that in her normal life."

Which, if he followed that logic, he was happy to conclude that she got no romance and had to resort to the books to compensate.

…Not that he wanted Erza to be lonely or something. That was just silly. It was just…

Lifting his eyes then from the box, he found that in the corner of the room, under the window, was a tiny bookcase. Grinning, he headed over there.

"I suppose she would like it if I went ahead and put these away for her," he decided. Though Erza being such an avid reader was still a little fresh to him. Enough so that she had a bookcase literally in her bedroom? Something to keep her occupied, he figured.

It was when he went over to the bookcase though, having to get down on his knees to do so, that it happened. He just picked the first book out of the packed box, planning on putting it in the bookshelf, when something came over him. He figured he'd just peek inside. Glance at a few paragraphs. He didn't know why.

Maybe his brain was just still all jumbled about even being in Erza's house.

When he opened the book, it was to a page that was already dog-eared, her having no doubt read it at some point. Upon glancing at it though, he about passed out.

It was a…a…sex scene. In a book! And a rather detailed one at that. His eyes widened as he read over it, face turning red from just the words alone.

Erza…read such things?

Of course not, he decided as he quickly put the book down. No. That just had to be a…a…fluke. That was it. It was a fluke. Plain and simple. So of course he picked up another book and flipped it to a certain page in order to prove it was just that one book, only to be, once again, accosted by a very graphic erotic moment going on.

"Are all these books erotica?" he complained, glancing into the box. It was one thing to him, for her to enjoy romance novels but for some reason, the dirty aspect of them was bothering him.

It'd be a lie though to say that they also didn't interest him, at least some what.

All the books, or at least all the ones he glanced at, appeared to be smut. Or a mild form of it in some cases.

"Jellal?" he heard them from the other room. It was Erza, apparently thinking he had been gone for too long. "You can just set them on the bed. You don't have to-"

And then she was in the doorway, looking in on him, only causing his blush to grown a substantial extent then.

"What are you-" He didn't cut her off. She just stopped talking as it became abundantly clear what was going on.

"I-I," he stuttered as he got to his feet, one of the books still clasped in his hands. "When I opened the box, I saw it was books, so I thought-"

"You thought that you could what?" She was blushing as well and wouldn't meet his eyes. It was a rare time, he was certain, for Erza's face to heat up in such a way.

"I was only helping," he told her, making a show then of setting the book down. "I was going to put them away, yes? In the bookshelf? That's all."

"Well," she said slowly, still seemingly unsure about what he'd read or what he knew of the book he had just been holding. "You don't have to. I will do that later. I like to keep them organized, you know? On the shelves?"

"Of course. It was foolish of me to think otherwise." His own face was losing its tint then as he only bowed his head slightly and came closer. "I will get back to unpacking then."

"N-No, it's fine. You haven't had a chance to shower as of yet. You can do that now, yes? I think we've done enough for the day."

"If you're sure," he said slowly though, honestly, a shower sounded divine in that moment. It would certainly help cool him off, at the very least.

"I am," she said, letting him pass then. As he was walking away though, towards the room he was staying in to get his things for his shower, she spoke again. "Jellal?"

"Yes?"

"…They're only books," she said, turning after him, into the hall. He only glanced back at her though and smiled.

"Of course. What else would they be?"

He'd eased her fears then, something he'd always found simple when it came to the two of them. With a shake of his head, he continued on to get the things from his pack before going into the bathroom.

It would be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong>This'll probably just be another five chapter story with short chapters (about the size of this one), but I feel like I always start by saying that and end up with a ten chapter story if not more. Sigh. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Hospitality

Chapter 2

As refreshing as the cool water felt against his flesh, it was the warm that relaxed him the most and put his mind at ease. He'd never admit it, but his muscles did become rather sore at times. Considering all the activities and strenuous moments he went through, that wasn't shocking. Just not welcome.

Needless to say, he spent a good amount of time in there, bathing. Long enough that by the time he got out, he found Erza in the kitchen, preparing a meal.

"I am not much of a cook," she admitted upon his entrance. "But I was going to make myself something regardless. Since you are here-"

"I mean to be of no trouble to you, Er-"

"And you are not any," she cut him off. "Come. Sit. I insist."

"Alight then," he said slowly, heading over to the wooden table in the corner of her kitchen. Taking one of the two seats at it, he said, "You say you moved from your dormitory at the guild, yes?"

"Just in the past few days, yes," she sighed, glancing over her shoulder from the stove and to the table. They made eye contact for just a moment and he almost felt himself blush again. All he could imagine was Erza reading…reading…

"I was lucky enough that there were a few things that the former owners left behind for me," she told him. "Such as that table."

He rapped his fists against it. "A good solid wood."

"Mmmm."

There it was, once more, that awkwardness that never seemed to rightly dissipate between the two of them. He could, of course, place the blame on her dirty (literally) little secret that he'd unearthed but that would not be the complete truth. Honestly, gaucheness was the only thing that seemed to ever take place between the two of them anymore. Even when he and Meredy stopped in at the guild for a quick visit it was such a way.

Maybe they were doomed to forever have that hang over head.

"The bed in Meredy's room as well," Erza was going on then. "They left some other furniture as well, downstairs."

"Downstairs?"

"There is a basement. The armor that is too big for the room you are in or that I do not use frequently will be kept down there."

"It is quite the house," he said slowly. "Spacious, I mean."

"Yes, well, it is only myself that I have to worry about," she said slowly. "So many of my jewels are spent on armor and such. To save up for this place was not much."

"It is very nice, all the same."

"Thank you."

Gah! He wanted to say something that actually held some meaning. Something that wasn't just filler. But he couldn't think of anything.

"How are things at the guild?" he asked slowly then. "I take it with a new home that you are taking many jobs, to gather jewels?"

"No more than usual," she said. "I have only taken to not buying armor impulsively. You do not know how hard this has been for me."

He felt himself smiling then, if only slightly. "You do have quite the collection."

"I do."

"But then you deserve it," he said. "There is no one that can better wield the weapons you have such as you do."

She wasn't facing him, but he could tell that he had said something right. Maybe they had found something to talk about. Where could he go from there? Hmmm. Bring up some of her greatest accomplishments?

…No. Because some of those involved him in a very bad light.

How about talk about how amazing she was in other aspects? Such as her...uh…

"You said that you were very skilled in acting?" he asked then, recalling it from earlier. Erza only nodded then.

"Yes. Of course. I was in a play, once."

"Oh really? What was it about?"

That brought her some pause before she said, "To be perfectly honest, I do not remember much of it."

"Really?"

She laughed slightly. Jellal really liked her laugh. Then again, he liked everything about Erza.

From an objective standpoint, of course. Because they were friends. Very close friends.

Or they were. Hopefully again. Maybe. Eventually.

"It is a blank for me," she admitted. "I remember going out on stage and seeing the crowd, but after that…"

"Hmmm." He nodded his head then. "You are such a good actor, I am sure, that it is almost like an out of body experience. You don't just act, you _become_ the other character you are portraying and therefore do not recall what happened after you become you again."

"That is one theory, yes," she agreed slowly. Then, after a though, she added, "Perhaps one day, should you not be out scouring the land for dark guilds, you could see me in one. A play."

"Perhaps."

He could feel it then, the change in not only the air, but also the two of them. They were becoming more relaxed. Or at least he was. And she seemed more at ease too.

It was not until they were both seated at the table, across from one another, that they spoke about anything serious. And it was her who broached the subject.

"You said that you are tracing a dark guild, yes?" she asked him as he only smiled softly at her.

"That is correct. Just like always."

"Tell me that you have not tracked it here though," she said, as if concerned. "If that is so, then I and Fairy Tail are of course at your disposal. To think that we let such a guild into Magnolia without-"

"It is nothing like that, I assure you. Or else I would have mentioned it by now," he told her. "We were merely close and I thought it nice to stop by. For a visit. Your graciousness to even allow us into your home is too much, honestly. And you said you couldn't cook."

"I can't."

"This all tastes fine to me," he said, nodding down at his plate. Erza grinned as well then before shaking her head.

"Though this has been nice, I will have you know that right after dinner, I usually partake in my nightly workout routine," she informed him. "So you might be on your own for-"

"You exercise at night?" He nodded his head. "That seems about right. It would be cool and-"

"Well, I have a morning, afternoon, and evening workout, yes," she told him. "When I can fit all three in, that is. Yesterday, since I was moving my things into my new place, I did not have a chance for my afternoon or evening one. But that only mean that I doubled up this morning."

"Did you?" he asked slowly.

"Yes," she said, nodding her head.

"That is quite the regimen. And for you to be so strict about it-"

"I believe in a high fitness level," she told him.

"Well, I know that," he said gesturing to her. "But what you are describing is beyond commitment."

"It is not as if I do not take the time out to do other things as well," she was quick to tell him. "Honesty, I've been thinking of extending my evening routine."

He stared hard at her for a moment before saying, "What would you say then if I offered to accompany you?"

Erza blinked. Then she merely said, "I take it you are prepared then to be more the worn out by the time I am done with you?"

That time, his grin was wide enough to show off a sliver of his teeth.

"Believe me, Erza," he said, eyes shining. "There is no chance that your workouts exceed the level of mine."

She only poked at her piece of pork on her plate with her fork.

"Yes, well," she said in a teasing tone. "It will be a lovely chance to find out then, Jellal, which of us is truly superior."

"Yes." He only stared at her. "Finally."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you broke Jellal."<p>

"I didn't-"

Lucy only stood there, in the infirmary, mouth agape as she stared at the hospital bed before her.

"I didn't believe it," she cut the other woman off. "When I heard what happened. But it's true. You-"

"Erza broke Jellal," Natsu laughed as he came into the room as well. Happy was with him, hands held over his mouth as he held back snickers.

"I did not break him," their redheaded teammate hissed, immediately reminding the two of who they were dealing with.

"We better stop laughing," Happy mumbled to Natsu. "Before she breaks us too."

"I didn't break him!"

The blue haired man who was currently having his elbow wrapped by Mirajane, only laughed.

"I assure you, Natsu, Happy, that Erza did not break me," he agreed with a grin. "In fact, if Wendy was around, she would have been able to heal me right up. But I hear that she takes jobs now, yes?"

"With Romeo," Lucy said slowly as she glanced at Erza who was about as red as her hair in that moment. "Anything you two wanna tell us though? About this broken arm?"

"Sprain, actually," Mirajane reported. "His elbow. That's all."

"You must be in pretty bad shape," Natsu said as he pounded his fists together. "Used to be you could take a pounding from me and wouldn't get a scratch, Jellal. Now Erza's giving you sprains? I'm ten times as strong as her now."

Erza turned her dark gaze on him then. "Wish to repeat that, Natsu?"

He only glanced at the blue haired man before him who shook his head before slowly saying, "Think I'll pass this time, Erza."

She glanced back at Lucy then. "Who told you then? That I…broke him?"

"Well," she said slowly, not wishing to rat out her friends. "Everyone downstairs basically is talking about-"

"Laxus is telling everyone," Happy announced. "He thinks it's real funny."

Erza only frowned. "Does he?"

"He's just drunk," Mira assured her before taking a step back from the man before her. "There you go, Jellal. All better. Unless you want some pain pills-"

"No, Mira," he laughed, shaking his head slightly. "I believe this is all I need."

'If you're sure," she said, bowing her head slightly. Then, giggling, she said, "I really have to get back down to the bar anyhow. Before Laxus gets himself into anymore trouble."

"So," Lucy prompted after Mirajane made her retreat back down the stairs. "Are you gonna tell us how this happened or-"

"No, Lucy," Erza said as her arms found their way to being crossed across her chest and she took to glaring at the blonde and Natsu. "In fact, we're going to talk about how I came to the guild today to find someone to help me unpack and you were all gone."

"Today?" Natsu asked, scratching at his head. "You sure?"

"Very."

"We were all here today though," he said slowly. "Well, until Gray yelled out about how you were coming and to hi-"

"Natsu!"

He blinked as Lucy hit his arm. "Oh yeah. I wasn't supposed to… Never mind."

Her gaze was killer then, but Jellal was standing, ruining whatever punishment the reequip mage was about to dole out.

"Why focus on the past?" he asked, smiling at all of them. "In fact, if it was not for Erza's insistence, I would not have even come to wrap my arm. She and I would still be train-"

"If you are injured, Jellal," Erza cut him off, voice taunt, "then it only makes sense for you to be taken care of immediately."

"Right," Lucy agreed slowly. "And I'm sure we'd all take this more seriously if it wasn't coming from the only person I know that pushes herself passed her own limits time and time again."

It was her turn to get a death stare which made Lucy immediately take cover behind Natsu. Jellal only nodded at all of them before moving to head out of the room. Erza was quick to follow.

"Mira suggested we ice it some when we return home," Erza told him as he set off down the stairs. "So unless you wish to do something here, perhaps we should collect Meredy and head back then."

Jellal only glanced over his shoulder at her. "You are quite worried over me, aren't you?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say as he made Erza stop short, both in her sentence and on her way down the stairs.

"No," she told him with a frown. "That's not at all what I am-"

Natsu came rushing passed her then, Jellal as well, rushing down the stairs. He was clearly all wound up about something or other, but that was nothing new. Rolling her eyes, Erza only continued on then.

"I was only apologetic, Jellal, for leading to your hurting your arm," she told him as Lucy came down as well, Happy with her. "If not for my insistence that we spar, you would not have-"

"If either of us is sorry, it is I, for ruining your workout. You did not even get through half. I-"

"I will make up for it," she said simply before heading over to the bar. Meredy was there with Gray and Juvia, speaking loudly to the latter about something in an excited manner. That wasn't what Erza was concern with though.

"Gah!' Gray groaned as he fell off his stool, shocking Juvia and Meredy alike. Erza, who'd delivered a blow to his head though, only glared down at him.

"You warn people now?" she asked simply. "When I'm coming?"

He only took to rubbing at the already forming bump on his head. "If you're going to do this to them, then maybe I should."

Mirajane, who was standing behind the bar, took to giggling. She was over by her boyfriend though, Laxus, who was drinking himself into quite a state.

"Don't think they're all so cute?" she asked him. Laxus only stared down at his empty mug before up at her.

"Mirajane-"

"No, Laxus. You've had enough."

"Mira-"

"No."

"Please, demon?"

"Lax-"

"I love you."

She took to giggling then before rushing off to do as he asked. Laxus only turned his music up a little louder. It was just too easy.

Not for Jellal though or so he found out that night when he and Meredy arrived back at Erza's place. She was overly concerned with his arm which he just found so hilarious. Not to mention cute. Even though she wouldn't admit it, the concern was plain on her face.

Erza Scarlet fretting over him. Ha.

She even cleared off all the boxes from the couch.

"You can sleep here," she'd explained. "Instead of in a sleeping bag in the other room."

"Really, Erza, I-"

"I insist. I would offer you my own bed, did I not think you would deny the request."

"Of course I would," he said as Meredy, who was standing by, only snickered into her palm. "I am not-"

"That is why I did not make it, yes?" She nodded to the couch. "You can sleep here if you so choose. Or the hard floor. I care not."

"Aw," Meredy mocked after she'd disappeared down the hall. "You two are just too cute together."

Jellal only sent her a look before sitting down on the couch. "I assure you that we are nothing of the sort."

"Right." She only stood there, arms crossed, staring at him. "So I take it you're wearing that then? The wrap around your arm? You're going to keep it?"

He glanced around, but Erza hadn't reappeared. With a shrug, he said, "When we leave Magnolia, I will shed it, of course, but if it make Erza feel better about…injuring me, then I will keep it."

"Too cute."

"Meredy-"

"Goodnight, Jellal," she giggled as she headed off. "Pleasant dreams. And do stay in your own room, huh?"

He frowned, but it was pointless in fighting with her. Besides, it would be nice to sleep on the couch regardless of the reason. And it was only for one night.

Right?


	3. Chapter 3

Hospitality

Chapter 3

It was sometime before sunrise when Jellal awoke. Glancing out a window, he found the sky to be hardly lit even. Still though, there was no better time to begin prepping to leave.

He found that his muscles felt tense when he sat up, but he equated that more to having spent that time working out with Erza. Her routine, as he found out, was far less strenuous.

Not that he would have been unable to keep up with her, had they continued at her rate. No, he'd have been fine, had she not insisted that he go and get his arm looked at. Quite honestly, part of him wondered if her persistence had less to do with worry and more to do with her not wanting to be one-upped by him.

The first place he went when he was up was to the bathroom to see if Erza had any sort of pain relief pills laying around. Not that he was in need of them or anything. If he couldn't locate any, he would just go without. But if they were there, it was just as she said when he injured his arm. Why not use your advantages when they are presented to you?

"You're up early," he remarked to Meredy as she walked passed the open bathroom door. He was standing in front of the sink, looking into the medicine cabinet, but to no avail. She hadn't stocked yet. "Thought you'd sleep late, considering you get the chance to sleep in a real bed."

"And what are you doing up then?" she retorted through a yawn. "'cause I was just going to get a glass of water."

"Hmmm." He closed the medicine cabinet before heading to follow her to the kitchen. "Well, since you are up anyhow, I suppose we can take off."

"Right now?" She frowned. "Erza isn't even up. You don't think-"

"I told her that we would be leaving early." He shrugged slightly, looking off. "It is for the best if we do not… No. Let her rest. And we shall take off now."

"If you're sure. I mean-"

Just then, the front door opened, shocking both Jellal and Meredy. They were in the kitchen at that point and headed to go see who it was that entered at such an early hour.

"Oh," Erza said as they found here there, dressed in a tank top and pair of shorts. "You are both up. I am surprised."

"When you said that you worked out in the mornings, I never expected you meant this early," Jellal mumbled. "I mean, the hour is ungodly."

"What is that you have in your hands?" Meredy asked.

"Ah, this is for you, Jellal," she said as he went to flip on a light. It was rather silly for all three of them to stand around in the dark. Holding up the two bags in her hand, she said, "I found a store open and bought some ice."

"Some ice?" he asked. "That is-"

"For your muscles," she said as she headed passed them and the few boxes still littering around. "I could tell yesterday when we were training that you are tense. And you told Mirajane that you were sore."

"So you got me…a lot of ice?" he asked, following her.

"Yes," she said, heading right into the bathroom. Frowning, he came to a stop.

"Wait. You do not plan for me to-"

"It will only help," she said, going to dump one of the bags into the tub before setting the other to the side. He was standing in the doorway, Meredy giggling from behind him. "Come."

"Um-"

Rolling her eyes then, she glanced back over at him. "You are not scared are you? Of how cold it will be?"

"No," he said slowly. "But I do not see me as-"

"When I return from a job, this is exactly what I do."

"Really now?"

"Well, mostly. Sometimes I choose to have a hot bath instead. But ice is best, I've found."

"I think I'll pass on-"

"Oh, come on, Jellal," Meredy giggled. "Erza's only trying to help you. I mean, she did go through all this trouble."

He shot her a look over his shoulder, but Erza only nodded her head, not picking up on the teasing tone of the pink haired woman. Jellal did though and narrowed his eyes. But still, Erza was being rather nice to him. It beat when she was ignoring him or actively trying to pretend like there wasn't something between them.

"It was no trouble," she said after a moment. "But what harm would it be, Jellal, if you did go ahead and use the ice? I already have it."

He glanced at her before letting out a slow breath. "Alright. If you think it would help."

Meredy couldn't stop snickering then as she headed off, towards the kitchen once more. There weren't a lot of amusing times between her and Jellal, but the past day had been overwhelmingly so.

"You do not have to strip all the way down," Erza told him slowly as she dumped the other bag of ice in the tub before moving to turn on the water. Only the cold faucet though. "Just to your…undergarments, if you so please."

"Thank you," he said slowly moving to pull his shirt over his head. "I believe I can take it from here."

"Of course," she said, nodding before turning to walk away. It was then he noticed that she was still rather sweaty, no doubt from her workout before, and figured she'd usually shower when she got home immediately. He felt a little bad about ruining her schedule, but then again, she was the one that went out and got him the ice.

And oh, was that ice cold. He had to grit his teeth as he sunk into it. How did she stand it?

"Erza," he called out after about five minutes. His body was numbing, but he wasn't sure that was something he wanted. "Hey, Erza?"

The shut door opened slightly and she peeked in at him.

"Yes?"

"How long should I-"

"You've only been in there for a few minutes, Jellal," he heard Meredy call from somewhere. "You big baby."

"I-"

"Surely you can stay in for a little longer," Erza said as she opened the door further before coming into the room. He thought that he should feel bashful but honestly, his whole body was focused more on the fact he was frozen solid. "Jellal, I would expect more of-"

"It was just a simple question," he snapped. Though he immediately regretted it. Letting out a soft sigh, he said, "I just do not see the need for-"

"I am only trying to alleviate your stiffness."

"There must be another way."

She blinked. Then she nodded and turned away. "Yes. There is. Once you have finished in there, return to the living room."

He only glanced after her before sighing when she closed the door behind her. Where had she come up with such an idea anyways?

It was not the ice that made him shiver, wondering if perhaps it was a scene from one of her books.

…Not that he thought that Erza…thought of him in…or…substituted him for the characters in her novels. Because that would just be…no. No. She… Did she?

"Of course not," he mumbled to himself as he pushed up from the ice bath and shook off. "Why would she?"

As far as she knew, he still had a fiancée.

"Oh, I hope she doesn't bring that up," he grumbled as he dried off. Ugh.

When he arrived in the living room, it was to find Meredy going through some of Erza's boxes.

"Where's-" he started, but she only nodded to the kitchen.

"Making breakfast."

"At, what is it, five in the morning?"

"We're all up anyhow."

More awake than she knew. An ice bath really ruined any chance of going back to bed.

"Erza," he began as he headed in there. She was over at the stove, scrambling eggs if he could rightly tell. "I have finished with my ice tort- bath. My ice bath."

She glanced back at him. "Oh. Well, take a seat then. I was making Meredy something to eat. When I finish, we can begin your alternative."

"Alternative," he repeated slowly as he went to sit down at the table. "And what exactly is it, if you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all," she said in a rather cheerful way. He was honestly expecting her to say a backrub or something…which he would have rejected, of course! On the standing that they were no more than friends.

…Still though, he imagined that she gave great-

"Acupuncture," she said then, cutting off whatever he might have been thinking. Blinking, Jellal processed what she was saying.

"Acu- Like where you poke me with needles?"

"Yes."

"Erza-"

"I do not just read…novels, Jellal," she told him which of course made him flash to a thought of her, sitting there, reading her erotica… Oh, he had to think of something else. Quickly.

Oh yeah. How about the fact that the woman whose life he just about destroyed thinks he'll let her prick his back needles? That was kind of the bigger issue of the day.

Kind of.

"I also read informative books," she said. "Aren't you lucky that I have just finished a beginner's guide to acupuncture?"

Lucky was a strong word. He was looking more towards, oh, doomed. Yeah, that about summed it up nicely.

"Erza," he said slowly. "I don't think that would be a good-"

"Nonsense," she said. "I am in need of practice and you are in need of assistance. I even have the perfect outfit for such an occasion."

"O-Outfit? To simply poke me in the back?"

She shrugged slightly. 'I have the outfit for every occasion. If not double."

"Well," he began slowly. "While it would be a shame for an opportunity to be wasted, I do not know if I-"

"Do you not trust me? Jellal?"

It was something about the way that she said it and the implications of him not doing so that caught him up.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Of course I do, Erza. I am only hesitant to-"

"I won't hurt you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Yeah, Jellal," Meredy said as she came into the room as well, apparently finished with unpacking whatever box she had been working on. "Erza would never hurt you."

Oh, he could only hope.

* * *

><p>"That could have gone better."<p>

"Do you think?" Jellal grumbled to Meredy who only took to snickering. "You would not be laughing if you hadn't just gone through that. I think the woman is actually trying to kill me. And I cannot rightly be upset with her over it, given the circumstances, but still. I wish that she would only go about it in a more-"

"Did you ever think-" Meredy stopped speaking then before shaking her head. "No, never mind."

He frowned, glancing over at her. The two were in Erza's bedroom, where he'd been dumped on her bed after it turned out that no, Erza didn't know acupuncture. At all. Or at least it didn't seem like it. His back was in immense pain and she'd gone off to buy him some pain killers.

Yeah, right.

"What?" he grumbled as he rested on his stomach, his head turned to the side as it lay against Erza's pillow. There was no right way to say it, but the scent of her was down right lovely.

…Err, never mind.

"Did you ever think that maybe Erza's, you know, injuring you so that you have to stick around? I mean, what sort of person just offers up to perform acupuncture on a person?"

"Erza," he sighed. "But yes, I could see your point. If Erza and I weren't just-"

"Oh, come off it, Jellal."

He only sighed, closing his eyes then. "Erza is a very…complex person. I am certain that all of this was not on purpose. She is a lot of things, but devious is not one of them. Should she want me to stay, she would merely ask. And I would decline, of course because-"

"Blah, blah, blah." She took to giggling then, just staring at him staring. "You know what else I think?"

"No and at this point I am not sure if I wish to find out."

"I think that you want her to hurt you, to have to care for you."

"What?"

"Yeah. Like the arm thing yesterday or this stuff today." She only shook her head. "You would feel shame should anyone in power see you like this. You know that you're not nearly as injured as you're feigning."

"Take my word for it, Meredy," he groaned. "Whatever she did to me was not in any way a benefit to me. I am in immense pain as we speak. And Erza did not do this on purpose. There is no way that she would have. This is all merely coincidence and your ideas are no better than…than one of those silly books over there."

She glanced at the bookcase and he was glad that she did because he found himself blushing just from mentioning them. Of course she had no idea that they were filled with filth and only took them to be novels or something.

"Maybe I'm wrong," she said with a shrug. "Maybe you and Erza really aren't just trumping up ways to spend more time together."

"I would like to think, Meredy, that if we were, we'd come up with some better ideas than this," he grumbled. "As intelligent as we are, we should at least be able to concoct ideas that don't end with me in a body cast, where I'm sure I am headed if we stay with Erza much longer."

"Whatever you say," she sang before turning to head off. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything, huh? Just call for me. Though I'm sure you're just counting the minutes until Erza returns."

Oh, he was. Though that had a lot to do with the fact that she was hopefully bringing some pills for his back.

In all his wildest imagination, he never thought that he would end up in Erza Scarlet's bed for such an outlandish reason. Because, fine, occasionally he might have once or twice dabbled in the idea of…

But no. Both he and Erza knew his duty. He had to purge the world of evil. He had to aimlessly right all his wrongs for the rest of his life. He didn't just owe it to her, but to everyone he'd ever hurt. And just because she forgave him did not mean that he could ever forgive himself.

"Why can't things just ever be simple?" he moaned as he laid there, miserable. Of all the things Erza could of done, she had to mess up his back. Quite honestly, after she'd stuck him with that one needle in the wrong spot, sending nerves jangling up and down his spine, the ice bath didn't seem so bad after all.

"Divine even," he sighed. But then again, if he had only done that, he'd probably already be out of Magnolia and far, far away from Erza's comfy bed.

And wasn't a little pain worth that?

Yes. But considering he was in a lot of pain, the jury was still out on that.

* * *

><p><strong>In my mild interest of acupuncture after thinking up this idea, I looked up some stuff and found that you could really, seriously injure someone with that stuff. Ouch. Not worth it at all as far as I'm concerned.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Hospitality

Chapter 4

"I do not get why they chose to leave so soon," Erza was saying as Mirajane mostly focused making eyes at Laxus who in turn was more or less just focusing on the fact that she was showing way too much cleavage that day for his liking. Err, rather to his liking. Had they been alone. But they weren't! Other people could see. What did she get about that?

"I mean," Erza went on. "His back was so injured that I would have thought he'd at least wish to take another day off."

"Hmmm." Mira glanced at her before going back to staring at her boyfriend. "Maybe you came on too strong."

"E-Excuse me? I wasn't coming on at all! I was-"

"Oh, Erza," the she-devil sighed. "No one tends to an injured man unless you're coming onto him. That's how I snagged Laxus."

"You didn't snag me, demon," he grumbled. "And get me another beer!"

"What do you mean?" Erza asked. "I was only helping Jellal. He was hurt and-"

"Sure," Mira said as she went to get Laxus another drink.

"He was!"

"And I'm not saying that he wasn't," the model told her. "But I'm saying that you took things a bit far. I mean, acupuncture, Erza?"

Blushing, she said, "I truly did just read a book on it."

Laxus snorted. "I wouldn't even let Mirajane come near me with one needle. That guy must really be into you."

"What are you saying about us, Laxus?" Mira frowned. "You wouldn't let me-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"What if I just needed to give you a shot?"

"No."

"No fair." She took to crossing his arms. "There's no way that Erza and Jellal are more in love than me and you."

"What?" Erza's blush was the tint off her hair then. "We are not in love at all. We-"

"Of course not," Laxus agreed. "They're a bunch of losers."

"Then you love me more than she loves him?"

"Would you stop saying-"

"Of course," Laxus told his demon just to make her giggle and clap her hands. "Now some food would be nice, Mirajane."

"Okay."

"Could we get back to the fact that I am not in love with Jellal?" Erza asked. "Please?"

"Sorry, Erza," Mira said with a shrug of her shoulder. "Case is closed. It's been decided. You scared him off because you came on too strong. Poor, Erza. She can't even land a man if he's madly in love with her."

"Mira-" Laxus warned, but it was too late. They'd begun.

"Oh? I can't?" Erza's blush faded as she sat up taller. "I forget at times, Mirajane, how simple it was for you to, as you put it, snag the one man in the guild that would fuck anyone."

"Please, guys. Can't we-"

"Laxus doesn't do that!" Mira cut her boyfriend off as she came back over to glare at Erza.

"Anymore. As far as you know, I mean."

"Shut up!" Mirajane's innocent persona was fading quickly then. "At least I don't have to chase after a man that more than once put my life into danger because every other man inn the world doesn't want me."

"Mira," Laxus groaned as he downed his beer before moving to lay his head down on the bar. Now that they'd started up, they'd never stop.

"You would bring that up," Erza complained, glaring at her. "But then again, Jellal might have done those things, but tell me. How does it feel to not even be wanted by your own village?"

Things only got worse from there. Laxus honestly contemplated just banging his head into the bar until it cracked. Eventually, he had to take Mirajane outside to get some air while Erza just stomped off, in a bad mood once more, back to her home.

She was fuming too, Erza was, the whole way there. Stupid Mirajane. She just thought she was so funny and perfect and smart. Well she wasn't! And Erza knew it. It was plainly obvious to most everyone that-

"What are you doing here?"

The reequip mage came to a stop in front of her house to find two people up on her porch. It was, of course, Jellal and Meredy, the pink haired mage giggling while the other on sat on the porch steps, looking rather forlorn.

"Hi, Erza," Meredy greeted. "We just made it out of Magnolia when t happened and we had to come back. We can still stay with you, huh?"

"Of course, but," she began slowly. "When what happened?"

"When Meredy shoved me from behind and made me hurt my ankle," Jellal grumbled.

"I did not shove you," she complained. Then, when he wasn't looking, she winked at Erza, making the older woman frown. "I saw a bee and-"

"And decided to pummel me? Even knowing that my back is still rather sore from-"

"Hey, are we were to judge past actions, Jellal?"

"No," he groaned before raising his eyes and looking to Erza. "I was willing to go on, but Meredy thought that we should spend another day with you. If it is alright. I mean not to-"

"Of course," she said as she came closer. "Did you need me to take you to the guildhall? To get your ankle looked out?"

"N-"

"Mirajane is rather… She won't be helping anyone with any connection to me for a long while, I am sure," she said slowly. "But I think Wendy will be-"

"What did you do to Mirajane?" Meredy asked, frowning.

"Well-"

"You mentioned Wendy?" Jellal moved to get to his feet, Erza coming over to help him. "I will go and see-"

"Really?" Meredy kept up. "You're going to make her waste her powers on a little bitty hurt foot, Jellal? That doesn't sound like you."

Glancing back at her, he said simply, "I wish to continue on with our mission, Meredy. I am willing to-"

"And tomorrow, we can," she said. "So-"

"It would be easier, I think, to bring Wendy to you," Erza said. "Come sit down on the couch and I will summon her, yes?"

"It would be easiest," he agreed.

Pouting then, Meredy followed them into the house. "If you really want to bother her."

"I do," Jellal said, shooting her a look.

Dropping him on the couch, Erza said, "Let me getting you something to drink and then I will go and see if I can seek her out."

Meredy glared at Jellal before quickly following Erza into the kitchen where she was getting Jellal a glass of water.

"Nice going, Erza," she said. "You had to bring up Wendy."

Frowning, the woman glanced over her shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you think I'm talking about? I had him staying here again and you messed it up."

"Meredy," Erza said slowly. "Did you…mean to hurt Jellal?"

"Of course! I thought that was the whole point?"

"What are you-"

"That's what you've been doing, right? With the training and the ice and the needles-"

"No," she said as she turned to face the other woman. "That's not what I was doing at all. I-"

"And how about when Jellal and I took off this morning? You took me to the side and said to make sure he didn't end up hurting himself. Then you winked."

"There was no wink," Erza told her. "I meant what I said. His back is not…alright because of something I did. To have him get hurt because of me using his as my first acupuncture client… No, that would have been no good. I just wanted you to watch his back."

"Well thanks for telling me that," Meredy complained. "I tackled him for no reason then."

Erza gave her a look. "You think?"

Looking off then, she said, "I'm so sorry for trying to make this relationship happen when you two bumbling-"

"What relationship?"

Meredy gestured to the living room before at Erza. "The one between you and-"

"There isn't one. There's hardly a friendship." Then she paused. "Especially now. Apparently, according to Laxus, even Mirajane wouldn't be able to stab him with needles and, as much as I hate to admit it, the two of them are rather committed to each other."

"And that doesn't tip you off about how close you and Jellal-"

"What difference would it make to you?" Erza asked with a frown. "We have never had a problem, but I have never taken the two of us as more than acquaintances, Meredy."

"I'm not doing it for you," she said. "I'm doing it for Jellal."

"Trust me, he does not need you to-"

"Yeah, Erza, he does. Because he'd never do it himself." She crossed her arms, still not meeting the older woman's eyes. "I like Jellal. A lot. But if I have to hear him give me the riot act again about how personal relationships are not for him, I'll kill him. Or myself. One or the other. And if your name even so much as comes up in a conversation-"

"I do not think, Meredy," she said slowly, "that either of us needs your help with any of this. Thank you."

"But-"

"Now come on," she sighed, going to bring Jellal his water. "We're going to get Wendy so she can heal him and the two of you can be on your way."

The thing they'd neglected to realize, however, was just how tiny the space between the kitchen and the living room was. It was inaccurate to say that Jellal heard parts of the conversation. Oh, no. He'd heard the whole thing, practically. And he was none to pleased with any of it.

"Is something else wrong with you?" Erza asked as she came to give him his cup of water. "You look flushed. Are you overheated?"

"N-No," he said slowly as he took the glass of water from her, though he couldn't meet her eyes. "It is not that. I am only… Say, shouldn't you go and find Wendy about now? My ankle-"

"Yes, of course." Erza nodded before looking at Meredy. "Do you wish to accompany me?"

Glancing between Jellal, who was still angry that she'd jumped on him, and Erza, who was annoyed that she was meddling, Meredy truly did not know which would be worse. Figuring with Erza she'd at least be able to be honest with, she headed off with her, leaving the blue haired man alone.

Once he was alone, Jellal only sat the glass down before taking to rubbing the palms of his hands into his eyes, groaning all the same.

How did he always get into such messes? Huh? It was like his life was dictated to always be ruined. When not by himself, by Meredy apparently.

He was still sitting there too when Erza arrived back at the house without Meredy. That wasn't as interesting as the fact that she was also without Wendy.

"I could not locate her," she said simply. "Apparently, she is not back from her job yet. I could take you to Porlyusica, but for some reason, I do not think she would be-"

"Where is Meredy?" he asked as Erza only came to join him on the couch.

"She was most ecstatic by my inability to locate Wendy, as she believes it to mean that you are both staying for the next day. At least."

Jellal hung his head. "I am sorry, Erza, for the inconvenience."

"It's fine."

"No," he sighed. "It is not."

"If I say it is, Jellal, then-"

"I have found that very often in our lives, it is me causing you more problems than you ever have me. If anything, you never cause me any trouble and yet I-"

"I said it's fine," she told him briskly before standing once more. "Besides, you are going to give me company while I unpack, yes?"

Unpack. It all started because he had to help her unpack. Sigh.

"I do not know what sort of company I could be," he said slowly. "I am rather discouraged with myself as of late."

"Do not be. It is not your fault that you are weak and unable to resist the urge to be hurt."

He blinked. "Erza-"

"I am joking, of course," she said as she went over to one of the boxes.

"Of course," he sighed. "Well, perhaps you should give people some sort of cue that you are doing so. Most people's voice changes or they make a leering face. You though, you are sound the same when you are ribbing as you are when you are disapproving."

"And you are such a jokester then, Jellal?" She shook her head. "If anything, we are equal on the front, I would think."

He only grunted slightly, shifting on the couch to get more comfortable. It was looking like he'd be stuck there for awhile.

"Besides," she went on. "I still stand by what I say. You are weaker than me."

"Erza-"

"It is becoming increasingly more clear," she said. "While it might have been a detriment at one time to be frozen for seven years, it now proves to be an advantage. You are older than me and there for, your strength will diminish quicker."

He blinked. "I am not that old."

"Yet you are."

"For someone that tries to be such a gracious host, I feel like you insult me quite a bit."

"Oh, I am still quite a hospitable host," she insisted as she began pulling things out of a certain box. "You have to admit. Who else would give you a free acupuncture session?"

"Free? You are lucky I do not charge you with pain and suffering!"

Scoffing, Erza said, "I read a book Jellal. That makes me more than qualified-"

"Apparently not."

"Who do you know that is better with sharp instruments?"

"Yes, and if I was asking you to assist me in killing myself by stabbing me through the back, you would be more the competent. But-"

"I would challenge you to find a better person in Magnolia at administering acu-"

"I wouldn't be able to, Erza, because normal people do not posses that skill."

"Thank-"

"And in this case, you are one of those normal people!"

Frowning, she looked over her shoulder at him. "You know, I am trying hard here, Jellal, to be a friendly hostess, but you are proving to be a less than cordial guest."

"Considering you poked me in the back and nearly rendered me useless, I think you could understand where-"

"Do we have a problem, Jellal?" She turned to face him fully then, just staring into his eyes. "Because if so-"

"No," he groaned then, his own tone being played back on him. "I am not trying to pick a fight, Erza."

"Then-"

"I am only frustrated," he admitted as he shook his head slightly.

"I did not mean-"

"Not with you," he told her. "You were just being…you this entire time. Believe me, I have no ill will against you. I never would be able to. All the things you have pardoned me for, there is no possible way I could ever blame you for anything."

"Well," she said slowly, blinking. "In retrospect, perhaps I should have read more than just the beginner's book to acupuncture before performing on you. They say that it is not good to begin with for someone to operate on loved ones and, considering I was using needles, I figured-"

"Loved ones?"

"What?"

"What?"

Then they were both staring at one another. Frowning, Erza turned to go back to what she was doing, neither speaking again for at least another ten minutes. And even then, it was only her offering to make him some lunch and him accepting the offer.

Boy, he sure wished that wherever Wendy was, she was having a great time. Something that would blow everyone's minds. Because that was the only way that Jellal would forgive her for not being there to help him get out of that town. Seriously.


	5. Chapter 5

Hospitality

Chapter 5

"You," Jellal said as Meredy came through the door after staying most of the evening up at the guildhall, "and me are going to have a huge discussion. Right now."

She only came further into the house to stare at him as he sat on the couch. "Something wrong, J-"

"Where do you get off, Meredy, trying to ruin the one good thing I have going right now? Huh? Huh? Me and Erza don't need-"

"What are you-"

"I heard you," he told her as she only frowned. "In the kitchen earlier?"

"I-"

"And let me tell you, Meredy, that I am less than-"

"Where is Erza anyhow?" she asked. "Huh?"

"She went out. To train."

"Oh." Relaxing some, she went over to take a seat on the couch next to him. "Jellal, I was only trying to-"

"I do not need your help. And am very content n how my life is currently."

'But you're not."

"But I am."

"But you're-"

"Even if I wasn't, that would be a good thing," he told her. "I am meant to suffer as atonement. I-"

"Jellal," she groaned. "Please, don't start with that stuff again. You have more than atoned. You-"

"The point is, Meredy, that you are not to be meddling in my personal relationships. Even if Erza and I… Even if there was a chance that we…" He shook his head. "There is no reason that you would ever be involved in it. The formation of it included."

"But it would make you both so happy to be with each other. And, I mean, it's practically like fate wants you together," she insisted. "Seriously, Jellal, just think-"

"You attacked me," he reminded her. "You said that there was a bee on me and then jumped me. Yet you think that I would ever listen to your suggestions again? Honestly?"

"I just… What about Erza, Jellal?"

"What about her?"

"What about what she wants? Maybe she-"

"She doesn't."

"But if she did? Wouldn't that alone be an atonement towards her? Making her happy by-"

"I really, really wish you would stop speaking on this," he told her. "There is nothing between the two of us. Nor shall there ever be."

"But what if it could make you both happy? Or better people? Or-"

"Erza can't be a better person than she is now," he told her. "There's no way. And there's nothing I could add to her life. Only deter her from her goals."

"What goals would you possibly ruin? As far as I know, she has everything she wants. The guild, the prestige, the-"

"Erza wants to be happy," he told her with a sigh. "And I only cause those close to me pain. Especially here. There's no way to go back on-"

"But you don't think that the two of you-"

"No."

"But-"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I…I travel. And she is a mage. We would never see one another. It would be too hectic. No way to possibly keep in touch. No-"

"But when you were in town," she said slowly, "and she was in town, you'd both be super happy, huh? It'd be, like, something to look forwards to."

He only shook his head, ready to tell her why that couldn't be, when the door opened to reveal Wendy.

"Erza!" she called out immediately, apparently not feeling the need to knock. Jellal assumed that the two of them were rather close. "Are you- Oh. Hi, Jellal, Meredy. Is Erza around?"

Jellal only stared in shock at the teen as she came closer, giggling slightly. Meredy only frowned at the sight of her. It was a done deal then. They were going to leave. And given the hell he'd gotten to try and get out of there, Meredy figured that they'd never be staying with Erza again.

Huh. She really thought that she had them that time. Oh well. It had been fun, but she was getting rather restless in Magnolia. Juvia would not doubt be taking a job soon enough as well, which would of course mean that she'd be out someone to hangout with. And anyhow, she knew her duty. They really did need to get back to work.

"Hello," Jellal said slowly, nodding at the young woman that just entered. "And no, she is not. She's out currently. Her nightly workout."

"Oh," Wendy giggled. "Silly me. Just, when Romeo, Carla, and I got in, everyone at the guildhall said that she was looking for me. Or… Did the two of you need me?"

Meredy glanced at Jellal then before shrugging. "He-"

"No," Jellal cut her off, as if impulsively. "Not today. I think that Erza cleared up her predicament. You are welcome to stay though. She made some lunch earlier and I think-"

"I think I'll pass," the healing mage said before grinning at them both. "If you guys don't need me and neither does she, then I think that I'll head back to the dormitory. Goodnight."

"G'night," Meredy said, still slightly shocked. It wasn't until the slayer was far gone that she spoke.

"Jellal, what was that?" she asked. "I thought-"

"She looked tired," was his excuse. He even shrugged slightly. "There is no reason to bother her tonight. In fact, I think that I will let her rest well into the morning tomorrow. Then you shall head down to the guild, summon her, and bring her back to heal my ankle. Assuming that it is still in pain."

Meredy only narrowed her eyes at him, as if judging the factual basis in his claims. It was her growling stomach though that made her head off, giving up for the time being, to go find something to eat in the kitchen. He'd mentioned leftovers, anyhow.

Jellal only stayed out there on the couch, sitting there for a moment, judging his own actions. It had kind of just came forth from his mouth. He hadn't meant to send her away. But part of him was just…

He didn't want to be with Erza. Not really. He was just…well…when Meredy laid it all out…

"Magnolia's making me crazy," he groaned as he moved to lay out on the couch. That had to be the only option.

Right?

* * *

><p>"I thought I heard someone in here."<p>

Erza glanced up from the kitchen table, where she was seated while polishing the blade of one of her swords. There were more weapons, varying in size and design, spread across the table before her, clearly waiting for their turn for the same treatment.

"Jellal," she whispered as he came into the room, clearly favoring one foot. "I did not meant to wake you. That is why I kept the light off. I-"

"You did not mean to wake _me_?" He only went to take a seat at the table. "It is your house, need I remind you."

"I know, of course," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I only was being a-"

"Gracious hostess, yes, I know. We've been over that quite a few times now." He only sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "You are up rather late though for one who must get up and workout in the morning."

"I cannot sleep," she told him simply. "I suppose it is the stress of a new home, but I just... I felt the need to come clean my weapons."

"Are you planning a journey any time soon?"

"I hope to take a job, yes," she said. Then, glancing at him, "But do not think of yourself as a burden. You and Meredy may come and go as you please. I know that the second you are gone, my home will become a playground for the likes of Natsu and Happy."

Jellal snorted. "You should get a dog."

"A dog?"

"Happy is a cat, yes? It shall scare him off. And Natsu won't go anywhere without his Exceed."

"I suppose," Erza said slowly. "But who would care for my dog while I am gone?"

"A pet that Erza Scarlet owned, why, I'd imagine that would be the most trained beast in all of the lands," he told her with a slight sigh. "He'd be able to go on jobs with you. Help you out. Be an attack dog, I'd be willing to wager."

Smiling at the thought, Erza said only, "I have never had much luck with animals, I've found."

"And I humans."

That made her pause before glancing up at him in the darkness. "Jellal-"

"It was a joke," he said quickly, grinning over at her. Then he shrugged. "Besides, compared to you-"

"What do you mean? Compared to me?"

He only nodded at her. "You have thousands of friends. You make them easily. Me, I-"

"I make friends, Jellal? Better than you?" She snorted. "You sell yourself short. You are very charismatic. You-"

"And you are not? You could lead an army into Hell, Erza, and have them chanting your name all the way into the deepest of fiery depths."

"And you led an army into a fiery depth," she told him softly, reminding them both of their relationship. Of their true relationship. Of the thing that would always hang in the air between them, no matter what sort of truce they came to.

There was that awkwardness then, that unbelievably loud silence that made them both turn red and look away.

"S-Sorry," she got out as quickly as her mouth would work for her. "I did not… I meant no harm. I only-"

"It's fine," he told her just as fast. "I take no offense. Not to a single thing you ever say. You are-"

"Jellal."

"Yes?"

"Just be quiet."

And they were for awhile, just sitting there at the table. She went back to her weapons and he mostly just sat there, trying hard not to die of mortification. Wouldn't that be something? All the time Erza had put into trying to kill him through needles and ice and just a down and out spar, all she'd needed to do was bring up some of their past history. Huh. If only she'd known that from the beginning.

"Your posture," she sad slowly after a few minutes of stillness.

"Hmmm?"

"Your back cannot get much better with the posture that you have taken up," she told him. "You slouch when you sit now."

He sat up taller then, smiling slightly over at her. "You are right, of course, but I find myself doing it unconsciously."

Erza only continued to stare down at the specific sword in her hand. "I suppose you are rarely seated anyhow. Constantly in motion."

"Except for when I am visiting you."

"Except for then. Of course, that will be coming to an end soon now," she said. "As soon as Wendy gets back."

Then, after a moment, he took a deep breath before saying, "Wendy came by today."

"Huh?"

"While you were working out," he said slowly. "She came by to find you, as some people at the guild told her you were in need of her."

"Then she fixed you?" She frowned. "Yet you are limping. Was she unsuccessful in her-"

"No, no," he said. "It wasn't that."

"Then… I am confused."

Sighing slightly, Jellal said, "I told her not to help me."

"And you did this why exactly?" Erza had stopped polishing then and was openly staring at him. "Jellal?"

"Because," he said slowly. "I thought… I don't know, Erza. I just…"

"Do you not wanna leave?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Jellal? I thought that you were busy investigating a guild?"

"I am."

"Then you must go," she told him. He only looked back down once more. "But…but when you are finished, return. I should be back from my own job by then."

'But why would I-"

"Because you clearly like it here, Jellal. And you cannot always keep yourself from things that you enjoy. Then you would only become bitter." She shook her head. "You enjoy being close to Fairy Tail, yes? And all our friends? I find myself the same way. They are a great group of people, are they not?"

"Yeah," he sighed, glancing up at her. "They are."

Grinning once more, she said, "Wouldn't it be something? If you were ever able to…join?"

"Join what? Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah. You and Meredy. You could-"

"It could never happen," he told her with a sigh. "So do not even contemplate the impossible."

Snort. He'd brought her mood back down. Going back to her weapons, she said, "Do not get too full of yourself, Jellal."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It is you that is living in my house, eating my food, and dreaming of my guild members being your friends. Not the other way around."

Great. So they were back to square one. Reaching out, Jellal tapped the table gently with his palm.

"I think I shall be going back to bed now. Good-"

"Wait." She sighed. "I didn't… You have been of no help to me since you've been here, Jellal."

"W-What?" Where was that coming from?

"So I shall get you a rag," she sighed as she got to her feet. "And you will have the very prestigious accolade of getting to help me clean my blades."

"I-"

"It is nonnegotiable," she told him simply.

"I was only to say that it is an honor," he said softly. "Erza."

Then she smiled at him. "It really is. You have no idea."

Silence was what they shared for some time after that, both of them finding that same pace that they did that first day, when they were working on unloading boxes. Perhaps it stemmed from their childhood, when they were forced into labor. Or maybe they were both just more at ease when they found something to concentrate on besides the other.

Either way, they were most productive then. There were no unintentional daggers thrown towards the other's ego and no need for apologies. They were both just able to be around each other without giving it much thought.

Eventually though, Erza found herself yawning and Jellal could hardly keep his eyes open.

"I think it is time for bed," she told him about then. "We can just leave what we did not finish here."

"Yes. If you plan on getting up for your usual morning routine, then I suppose now would be the best time to hit the sack," he said as he got to his feet. "Off to the couch, I suppose. For one last time."

"Mmmm. I would offer you the bed, but-"

"I would never trade with you," he said. "You know that."

"I know. And perhaps that is why I offered then? Knowing that you wouldn't take me up on it?"

He only smiled, glancing at her. "What a shame it would be then, if I said right this second that I wish to do so. What would you do then, Erza? Hmmm? Allow me to take the bed? And suffer out here on the couch? In your own home? Not the great Erza Scarlet."

She shook her head. "Then I would suggest sharing the bed. Anything to get out of sleeping on the couch."

"S-Sharing?"

She only shrugged as she led him back to the living room. "Tell me, Jellal, that you're not so scared of women that you could not even lie beside one."

He made a face at her. "Oh? And there are so many men that get the honor of laying at your side?"

That one made her blush and the peace between them shatter. It more than gauche between the two of them once more and the woman easily excused herself to her bedroom. Jellal only went to settle out on the couch.

"One last time," he repeated to himself as he laid down, as if a mantra that only he could understand. It had to be. He wasn't so sure he could last much longer otherwise.

* * *

><p><strong>So…I guess we're going to ten then, guys. Oh well. I kinda figured we would anyhow. <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Hospitality

Chapter 6

"It'll almost be odd now, being here alone," Erza told Jellal as she fixed him breakfast. It was after her morning workout as well as shower and she was getting him fed before he left. Meredy had already taken off for the guildhall, to wait around for Wendy to show up.

"You won't be alone," he reminded as he took to polishing the weapons she had still laying out on the table. "Natsu and Happy, remember?"

She only smiled, over there at the stove. "You know what he told me when I told them that I was buying a house?"

"What?"

"He was happy," she said. "Because, as he put it, when Lucy was too annoying, he could come stay over here. Then Gray warned him against it, mentioning all these silly times that I may or may not have struck both of them rather hard in the head."

"May not have?"

"Well," she said, looking off. He only grinned some more though.

Since waking up, they'd both seemed to be in pretty good moods. He figured it had a lot to do with the fact that finally, _finally_ they both knew that he'd be gone in the morning. And hopefully for awhile. It'd given the a breather from one another, at the very least. Which, obviously, they needed.

"If I ever get a home," he said slowly after a few moments. "You will have a permanent access pass to it."

"Oh?"

"After all of this? You have treated me better these past few days than anyone."

"Even though-"

"Included the ice, the needles, and the sparring, yes," he told her with a slight laugh. "You have been more than hospitable, Erza. You've been unbelievably kind. I thank you. And I only hope that one day, after all has been given reparation, that I have a home to return the favor for you."

"While that is a kind offer," she said as she came over with a plate full of eggs and bacon for him. "I don't not see this as a viable option."

"Oh?"

She only gave him her all-knowing gaze as she said, "I do not see your fiancée as rather liking the idea of it."

And man, he had blushed during his time there, but that had to have been the worst of all. It was all consuming. His entire body felt warm as he stuttered and tried to cover for his embarrassment. As always though, his childhood friend saved him.

"Do not turn so red, Jellal," she said simply as she went back to get her own plate. "It was a bad lie to begin with, yes?"

"L-Lie?"

"Jellal." She joined him at the table, her eyes still portraying her holier than thou look. "Let's just be real for a moment? Besides, who cares? It was a…mistake. For us to almost kiss. And it is done. Dead. For a good while now."

Mistake? He only took to his food then, figuring it would be for the best to keep his mouth shut.

"I thank you, anyhow, for helping me to unpack," she said after a moment. "I never realized just how much stuff I have."

He looked down at the weapons that laid around, next to their plates of food. "You never realized?"

That got him a look. "I only keep things of importance. Not to mention, other than my rent at the dormitory and food, most of my money was able to go to props and armor."

"Props. We bring those up again," he said, finding himself at ease once more. "Yet I still have not seen the fine acting skills."

"I can read to you, then," she said. "I do not have a play handy, but I can act out one of the character in one of my novels."

He was wrong. That was the deepest blush of his entire time there. Upon seeing it, Erza frowned.

"What is wrong?"

"N-Nothing, I only-"

"No," she said slowly. "There is clearly something. What did I say wrong?"

"Honestly-"

"Jellal-"

"Your books all appear to be erotica," he said, perhaps a tad too loud and forceful than required. It did, however, make Erza's face match his own.

"Y-You went through my things?"

"Not on purpose," he told her as he looked anywhere, but at her. "It was that first day, when I tried to put them away for you. I… It just happened."

"But you did not have to-"

"I am sorry. It just has been…bothering me," he said slowly. Not as much as it did when their eyes inadvertently met and they both had to look the opposite way once more.

"Why?" she asked. "It is not like I… I'm not… I'm not a pervert or something!"

Her insistence on that made it all worse. So much worse.

"Of course not," he told her. "I never thought that. They are only fictional anyhow."

She let out a slight huff of breath. "Can we not talk about this?"

"Gladly."

He would have taken it back then, all of it, all the awkwardness that had hung between them the past few days. All the gauche moments, the graceless comments, and all those times that he just wanted bang his head in from the agony of it all. He'd have had all of those moments happen all at once if it meant avoiding the one that he'd just created from one careless slip of the tongue.

It was when she got up, taking their empty plates to the sink to wash them, that he did it. He just started…laughing. And he couldn't help it. It all just came out of him. Everything he'd been holding in. The anxiety, the hurt, and most importantly, the embarrassment over all the horrible things he'd done to her, intentional or not. And they found their way out in the form of laughter that Erza did not take well.

At all.

"What?" she accused as she turned from the sink to glare at him. "What is funny about it? Many partake in the reading of such…material. I am not embarrassed by it, if that is what you think. In fact-"

"It's not," he tried to get out as he about doubled over in giggles, holding his stomach as if it hurt him too much for words. "It's not that, Erza. I assure you. It's-"

"What?" she insisted, her gaze so dark that he almost felt like she was embodying one of Mirajane's demons. "What is it that is so funny, Jellal? Huh?"

"All of it," he told her as he slowly got to his feet, though he couldn't help, but to continue laughing. "Really. I've been so…uptight about being around you. Even without the novels added in. It's all just been bottling up."

Her hands, which had come to rest on her hips, fell some as she only stared over at her friend.

"Uptight?"

He nodded. "Everything that I say, everything you say, we think about. We try our hardest to make every word matter. As if we are careless around one another, the whole world will end. Look! I said something to you that I did not mean to. I admitted something I had been holding in. Did the world end? Is it over? Can we no longer face each other?

"No. The world still stands and you are still the closest thing I have ever had to a true friend. Because we have had such horrible things befall us, many self-made on my part, I admit, that we are unwilling to realize the things on which we are currently putting importance do not matter. That we are finally both right where we need to be, that you are finally happy and in your element while I am able to go around and make up for my past mistakes seems to mean nothing to us.

"We're happy, Erza. We're content. Both of us. And we are still friends, if not a loose term for that. So why can we not just be open with one another? And let the past remain in the past? If you're not ready for that, fine, but I think, finally, I am ready." He was no longer laughing, only staring. "I want to be your friend, Erza. Your real friend. I…I care about you. A lot. And I know-"

"Jellal."

"Mmmm?"

She grabbed her arm, holding it awkwardly as she stared at him. "I care about you too."

"Good." A breath that he hadn't even realized was inside of him found its way out, making it feel as if his chest was deflating. "Good."

"I only wish," she said slowly. "That you had had this big moment at the start of your visit. It seems any time together we have now is short and without meaning."

"Knowing Meredy," he said, "we still have another good two hours to do whatever we please. If not more. And now that we have both eaten, the possibilities are endless."

Erza was still just watching him though. "All of this because you found my dirty books?"

He shrugged slightly. "Let's say that it a accumulation of many things all tumbling out of my mouth at once."

Nodding slightly, she said, "Well, I suppose the training is an out as for the list of things we can do together. We do not have a good track record there."

"No," he said slowly. "I think that next time I return though, I will be ready for you. Morning, afternoon, and night session."

"I look forward to that."

Something though told him that his body didn't.

Eventually, they found themselves out on the front porch, watching the still rising sun. They had no idea when Wendy would actually show up at the guildhall, but honestly, in those stole moments, neither cared.

Erza somehow ended up telling him all she could remember of that play that she was in, that time with Lucy and Natsu. There wasn't much that she recalled, but from what she did remember, she'd be quite the star. And Jellal seemed equally impressed.

"I never took you for the theater type," he told her as they sat on the porch steps together, side by side. They were so close that their shoulders were touching. It was…comforting. "You are so bold in battle and, well, I guess emotional that I could see it working. I suppose."

"I am not emotional."

"Erza," he said, glancing at her. "You're very emotional."

"When you and I fought, yes, I was, because-"

"Every time you fight you're emotional. I have heard the tales."

"The tales?"

"You are quite the talk around many villages. The great Erza Scarlet. What is they call you? The Queen of the Fairies?" He laughed, hanging his head slightly. "You are one of the most fearsome there is. But talkative during battle."

"I make things interesting," she said slowly. "But emotional-"

"You perform," he corrected before turning to look full on her. "Now I get it. That is where you get your ability in theater. You perform through your battle so it must really shine on stage."

She blinked. Then she shrugged. "Whatever you think of me, I guess, but I still do not see it that way."

"Do not be embarrassed by it. You are still the best there is. And with Natsu as your backup, I can see why your team is undefeatable."

That brought her grin back. "He calls it his team."

"Mmmm…I think he's wrong."

"Me too."

And she was leaning, if only slightly, against him as they focused back at the sky that was more than light at that point. There were even people random walking around, getting about their days in their usual fashion.

"It won't be odd for you?" he asked her. "Living among civilians?"

"Hmmm?"

He gestured around. "This whole neighborhood is full of people that do not possess any magic ability. You do not think-"

"My first day moving in, the day before you arrived, Natsu amazed the children around with his ability to create first. Gray was the same with his ice," she told him. "I think I'll be just fine."

"I dunno," he said with a sigh. "Me? I would never wish to live somewhere like this place."

"No?"

He shook his head slightly. "I would want to live in a tiny house out in the woods. Or on a farm. Something separated from people. Secluded. Maybe by a lake. Or the ocean."

"Mmmm. That sounds nice," Erza agreed.

"I would be able to practice my magic and bother no one. And they could not bother me either. No one would know I was there." Then he paused. "Other than you and Meredy, of course."

"Of course," she said. "But as nice as it sounds, it would never work for me."

"It wouldn't?"

"I have to be close to Fairy Tail," she reminded him. "It is the only home I've ever known. And I will die as a member, I hope."

"No time soon though," he sighed. "And besides, wouldn't it be a nice place to…vacation?"

She glanced over at him for a moment before shrugging slightly. "Of course, but I feel like every time I take off, something either happens to the guild or something ruins my time. It is almost as if I cannot step away, for even a moment, from battling some villain or entity. It has consumed my entire life."

"I feel the same," he told her. "These past few days with you have been, well, more than nice. Great even, for the most part."

"Except for when I was injuring you."

"Even then," he assured her. "But the whole time I have felt…inactive. Useless."

"You're not useless," she sighed. "And taking time out for yourself does not make you a bad person. You have to find time to have some fun, Jellal. If not with me, then someone. Not to mention, I am sure that it's good for Meredy to have some days to herself. She deserves them. Putting up with you constantly."

"Me? I do not hit my team members as a form of punishment."

"Allegedly hit."

"Erza."

"I just mean-"

"I know what you mean," he assured her. "And Meredy does deserve a lot. More than me, at least. I have found that I am little fun when I am busy working at something. And she is so…bubbly."

"You should have met her as I did, back on Tenrou," Erza told him. "She was so…different. To see her now…"

"We've all changed." Then he paused. "Perhaps not you. You've always been kind and good and righteous and-"

"Are you trying to flatter me?"

He shrugged. "You are what you are."

"And you are what you are. Now. Don't forget that." Then she let out a soft sigh. "And not everything I do is always so righteous."

"No, but the good you have done far outweighs the bad." He pushed her slightly with his elbow, making her look up at him. "You're a good person, Erza. Through all the things you've gone through, you'd have an excuse not to be. But you are. Even people that you shouldn't look out for, that you shouldn't protect, you do. You stand for justice. And you have a better sense of right and wrong than the most virtuous person I know. You have more morals than anyone. I just… How are we so different, yet so…"

"We're not so different," she told him softly. "You thought… You thought that you were doing right. And when you saw the error of your ways, what did you do? You took to correcting them. I do not know many men, Jellal, that would do as you have begun to. To take to trying to make amends for atrocities instead of just succumbing to your inner demons… You have faced much too. We were together, in those cells, going through the same thing. And before it took hold of you, you were even more upright than me."

"That's not true."

"But it is," she insisted. "What happened…all of it… It made me who I am. But you were already a leader. A good person. And you took a wrong path, one that you are now paying for. But you have slowly found yourself back on the right one. And sometimes…trying is all that matters. I…I like the person you are becoming, Jellal. A lot."

His breath caught in his throat and yet, somehow the next words found their way out of his mouth with ease.

"I've always loved the person you were," he told her as he stared at her. "Erza."

And then, it was without fault. It was without blame. He might have turned his head or maybe it was her leaning towards him. But somehow, there were no lies of already being taken or any chance of one another moving back. Because before they knew it, their lips were meeting and they were kissing.

Why had he ever resisted it to begin with?

He couldn't remember, either, which pulled back first. The only thing that he did recall was her whispering his name and him being totally ready to kiss her again.

"Jellal!"

When he heard Meredy coming down the street, calling out for him.

Honestly, the woman spends the better half of a week attempting to get them together and they finally have a moment, yet she chooses to ruin it?

Oh, ruin it she had too as Erza jumped to her feet at the sound of them approaching. Sure enough, within a moment, Wendy and Meredy were there, both giggling and talking loudly between themselves. Wendy, apparently, though it was hilarious that Jellal had been injured by Erza.

"Lucy told me that you broke him," she gushed.

"I didn't break him," the redhead insisted.

But she had. Jellal was broken. Something had just happened between he and Erza that changed everything. They were finally going to just be friends, be real, down to earth friends. No gaucheness or long silences.

Man, if he didn't see some awkward moments in their future.

They didn't have a moment alone again, to speak on what had happened, either. Wendy was healing him almost immediately and, as they were usually so organized, Jellal and Meredy were already packed. Not to mention Wendy seemed intent on staying at Erza's that day, to help her finishing unpacking and setting things where they belonged.

They'd had that time together and blown it, apparently.

"You okay, Jellal?" Meredy asked as they found themselves on the outskirts of Magnolia, the last words to Erza from him only being a normal goodbye, one that he'd have said to her whether they'd kissed or not. "Or are you missing being in town already?"

He only shook his head, letting out a soft breath.

"Let's just get back to work, Meredy," he told her with a sigh. "We have a lot of time to make up for."

"Whatever you say."

And besides, he thought. The sooner they finished up, the sooner he could sneak in a way for them to get back to Magnolia.


	7. Chapter 7

Hospitality

Chapter 7

It bothered Erza the whole time he was gone. On every job, whenever she was home alone, and a lot when she'd finished a workout and came to sit on the front porch.

Why? Of all the things that could have happened between them, why did she have to kiss him?

She told no one about it. How could she even begin to? For one, if Mirajane caught wind of it, then Erza would have to hear about it for the rest of her life. And telling Lucy would be a sure fire way for it to make its way back to the barmaid. So she was more or less boxed in.

Which was fine. She kept most of her emotions in. Bottled up. Buried deep. She would be able to weather the situation with Jellal all on her own.

First she had just to figure out a way to see him again…

She took as many jobs as possible to pass the time, but part of her was also worried about her being gone when he came back. And when she took a job with Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Natsu, she always more or less found herself holding her breath in. How could she not? It seemed like when grouped together, they had an overly eventful time more likely than not.

But alas, nothing remotely interesting happened in her life. Day in and day out was spent trying to find things to occupy her time. But even the things that once kept her mind off things reminded her of him. She could hardly even read any of her novels without a blush spreading across her face, in the darkness of her empty home, as she wondered what exactly he thought of her and her filthy books.

Err, among other things, of course. Ha ha! It wasn't as if she was fixated or something on the thought of him knowing her of her dirty habit. Because that would just be…and she wasn't…so…

The point was though that Jellal had, once again, managed to infiltrate her brain and render her useless. Or at least he'd killed most of her thought process. So she mostly worked out when she was alone, in her home, part of her wishing she'd never moved out of the dormitory. At least that gave her something to do. She was around everyone constantly.

Living alone was so lonely.

So that's why she didn't rightly hate it as much as she once thought that she would when Natsu and Happy would show up on her doorstep (or sneak through her kitchen window which, for some reason, they found hilarious). In fact, she welcomed it. That little guest room practically became his when he and Lucy were having a tiff.

"What about your own place?" she'd asked him once.

"We'd rather stay with you or Luce," he told her to which Happy nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "Free food galore!"

Natsu only grinned. "And we like to company too."

"But it's mostly the food!" his Exceed insisted.

And she felt that. She really did. The part about the company. It was nice, having people over. She had Wendy, Lucy, and Levy over a lot. She'd even asked Lisanna over a few times, though that had been kind of a bust. They'd never been outstandingly close and, as of late, the she-devil's younger sister went nowhere without Bickslow and his annoying dolls.

Once, when she was feeling really lonely, she even invited Mirajane and Laxus over. Which turned more into Mira snooping around and Laxus degrading her abilities as a mage when compared to him. But still, friends were friends, right?

It was one night though, about a month and a half after Jellal took off, that there was a knocking at her door in the middle of the night. The time was fast approaching midnight and, honestly, she'd just been planning no hitting the hay. But worried that it might be one of her friends in need, she rushed to see what was wrong.

Upon opening the door, she was shocked to find a forlorn Natsu there as well as Happy.

"Since when did you start locking all your windows?" Natsu complained. "I've been trying to get in for the past hour."

She made a face. "I thought I heard something outside, but assumed it was only the wind."

"Lucy kicked us out," Happy said as he stared down at the ground. Kicking at it after a moment, he said, "And we don't feel like walking all the way back home."

"What did the two of you do to Lucy this time?" Erza asked as she stepped aside, allowing them entrance.

"Nothing, really," Natsu complained. "We were only messing around."

"Yeah," Happy agreed. "We didn't mean to spill ink all over her desk. Honest."

"And it's just paper. Is it our fault that she left her stories out?"

Rolling her eyes, Erza took to locking the door behind them. "I do not feel like cooking you anything as I am headed to bed myself, but you are welcome to anything you find in the-"

"Thanks, Erza!"

"You're the best!"

She only smiled before making sure that they'd be fine for the night. Then she went right to bed, as she did have a workout planned for the morning.

Until, around three that morning, she was awoken.

"Erza."

It was soft and she almost ignored it.

"Erza!"

That time louder. Then she felt a hand shaking her.

"What?" she complained, peeking an eye open. "Natsu? I thought I told you not to come into my-"

"I smell someone," he told her simply. "Outside. They're-"

"What?" And just like that, she was jumping to action. "Where?"

She was wearing a rather form fitting nightie and, honestly, Natsu wasn't hating it. Then Erza hit him in the head for staring, making him complain and fall to his knees, a knot forming almost immediately.

"Why didn't you go and speak to the person, Natsu?" she asked.

"Because," he complained as she quickly went over to her closet to pull something on. "I didn't think I was allowed to. Or I couldn't remember if I-"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are we friends with Jellal again? I can't remember," he said simply. "And if we are, then I'd get in trouble for attacking him. And if we weren't, then I'd get in trouble for just letting him into the house. It's a cannon drum!"

She didn't have time to tell him he meant conundrum then as she rushed from the room after pulling something on to see if what he said was true. To find out if Jellal really was just outside her door. Because, honestly, in all her dealings with Natsu, she'd learned more than once that he was mostly useless in many cases. No telling what was really going on until she checked it out herself, she figured.

"What are you doing out here?" was the only thing that left her mouth when, upon opening the front door, she found him sitting on her front porch, back against the railing, as he rested. Or so it appeared. At the sound of her voice however and the sudden brightness as she turned the porch light, his eyes flew open.

"Erza," he breathed, quickly moving to get to his feet. "I was merely waiting for daylight. I got into town so late that I knew you would be in bed. I did not wish to wake you."

"Where is Meredy?"

"We have… We had a disagreement on where to go next," he admitted with a sigh. "When I told her that I wished to take a break for a week, she wanted to go somewhere fun. And Magnolia, apparently, is not much fun. So I sent her off to go do whatever she wished. As she told me repeatedly, she is not a child and-"

"Come in," Erza cut off them, still slightly shocked to honestly be standing there with him. "Quickly. You should have just awoken me."

"Yes, well-"

"Ah-ha! So we are friends with Jellal."

From behind her then, Natsu appeared, though he was still holding his wounded head rather tenderly.

"Natsu," Jellal said slowly as he came into the house. He glanced at Erza, but she only rolled her eyes. "What a surprise."

"You can say that again," he grumbled. "Stay out of Erza's bedroom, apparently. Unless you wanna get hit on the head too."

Jellal frowned before saying slowly, "I'll keep that in mind."

Making a face, Erza said, "Natsu, perhaps you should return to bed? Now that everything's all taken care-"

"What are you doing here, Jellal?" Natsu asked as the man only took a deep breath and took a look around. Erza, noting the darkness, rushed to turn on a light then. "The world in peril? You needed me? Ha! I knew it. But how'd you know to find me here? You following me or something?"

He looked to Erza then for an answer who only sighed.

"Go to bed, Natsu," she told him. "Jellal is merely in need of a place to stay. The same as you."

"Huh. Well, I call bed!" he said loudly. "And me and Hap don't share with nobody. 'cept for Lucy sometimes, but now that she kicked us out-"

"What's going on? Natsu?" they heard then from the hall. "Is it Lucy? Come back to apologize? Tell her that we're happy here! Unless she has fish, in which we will eat it and then decide."

Could the night get any worse? Erza only held down a groan as Happy appeared in the living room. At the sight of Jellal, his hands went to his mouth.

"Oh, I see," he giggled. "Midnight visitor, Erza?"

"You-"

"Well I don't see," Natsu said. "Just because you've known him awhile doesn't mean that he gets the bed, Erza."

"No one said that he was taking your bed," she told him, frowning. "Now go there before I change my mind. Either that or I might just strike you in the head. Would you rather that?"

Nope. Natsu turned to head off and go back to bed. Happy took to snickering again, pointing, before running after his best friend, as if in need of his protection.

It was only once they were alone that Erza and Jellal actually addressed one another again. And even then, it was only her nodding towards the kitchen.

"I shall make some coffee," she told him. "And-"

"There is no need," he assured her. "It's early. Go back to bed. Now that you have let me in, I shall only sleep on the co-"

"I would be up in the next hour or so anyhow," she told him through a yawn. "Come. I will make you some breakfast. And then I shall head out early on my workout."

"There is no need. Honestly, Erza. I-"

"I insist." She glanced back at him. "You were foolish anyhow, to think that it was best for you to sleep out on my porch. Honestly, Jellal, did you-"

"A porch, out in the forest. It is all the same."

"Still." She hit the light in the kitchen before going over to her coffee pot. "Sit, sit. And tell me of what you've done since we last spoke. Did you and Meredy complete your task?"

And with that, they fell into a long discussion, one that lasted longer than breakfast. He told her every detail. It was almost as if he was nervous or something, just spilling everything out in an attempt to keep her from asking anything serious. Like, oh, what they were going to do about what took place before he left.

Not that she was planning on saying anything about it. Unless he brought it up. Because she just couldn't bring herself to do so. It was just another thing to hang between the two of them, she figured, just like so much else in life. Maybe that peace they'd reached before the kiss was only momentary. A fleeting reprieve that they'd lost just as quickly as they'd gained it.

Then, as they were sitting there, plates empty and her contemplating leaving to go on her pre-warmup jog, he said it.

"I think we need to speak on the last day I was here," he told her randomly as the previous conversation reached a lull. "On how we…"

She only stared at him. "Yes, well-"

"I should not have kissed you," he told her before she could even comment. "It was wrong of me. I shouldn't have-"

"Jellal," she cut him off. "I kissed you. I thought. But-"

He blinked. "Then you are not…angry about it?"

"Of course not. I just," she began, but was unsure of where to take the statement. "I'm just confused is all, I suppose. Did you…wish to kiss me as well?"

"Of course," he told her, if not a tad overly enthusiastic. Then, realizing this, he looked off and cleared his throat. "I mean, Erza, I…"

She was staring at him then, so openly, that he had a hard time looking at her. What was there to say anyhow?

"I suppose," she said slowly, "that you would not mind if it occurred again?"

"No," he told her slowly. "Would…you?"

That got a shake of the head.

Then they were both grinning at one another. Right up until Erza stood, taking their plates and coffee mugs to the sink before announcing something totally different.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Ready?"

She nodded. "You told me when you left that upon your return, we would workout together. Do you recall? Morning, noon, and night. All three sessions."

"B-But Erza-"

"No better day to start than today," she told him. "I heard it's going to storm tomorrow. And you wouldn't wish to run with me in the rain, would you?"

"You workout even when it storms? Outside?"

"Of course. You can never predict the elements of a battle." She nodded at him. "Let me go put on some workout clothes and then we can begin, yes?"

Jellal could only nod numbly.

What exactly had he gotten himself into?

* * *

><p>"Tell me that I need not call someone here to check you out, just from a simple workout."<p>

"Two," Jellal sighed. "Two workouts."

It was the middle of the afternoon then and Erza, after washing the sheets in Natsu's room (she did so every time he visited), was shocked to find Jellal still resting on the couch as he had been since they finished their noon workout. Well, shocked was a strong word. More amused than anything else.

"Come on," she sighed about then as she went to grab his hands making his eyes, which had been shut, fly open. Tugging gently, she made him get to his feet. "I have to do the dishes. You can help."

"I don't want to. Leave me here to suffer," he groaned. "All this time I've been wasting time trying to punish myself in all sorts of different ways when all I need to do was spend an entire day in Erza Scarlet's shoes."

"Ha ha," she said as she let him go before heading into the kitchen. "You know, I think that you make yourself out to be weaker than you truly are if only to make me feel better."

"What? No."

"You think that it's boosting my ego to see you in pain over the simplest of workouts?"

"Again, simple is not something that I would consider what you do."

"You are not sore," she said simply as, instead of going to help with dishes, he fell into one of the kitchen table chairs. "You are only trying to make me feel better. Well, knock it of."

"I assure you, Erza, that the last thing in this world I need to do is boost your ego," he sighed as he rested his head against the table. "And, honestly, my stamina in magic is insurmountable for most. But running? And pushups? And all those other things you do? That is not what I consider a workout, no."

"Then you are foolish," she told him as she ran the tap water, getting it warm before she started the dishes. "Keeping your body in shape is as important as keeping your mind sharp or your magic in check."

"I do other things, of course," he told her. "But just not to your level."

"Find a new way to flatter me, Jellal. Speaking of my many accomplishments does not work."

"But doesn't it?"

She wouldn't look at him to give him the satisfaction of seeing a smile form over her face, but that was fine, as his own mask was being over run by a wide grin.

"When do you find the time to go to the guildhall?" he asked her after a moment.

"I do not go every day," she told him. "As with today. Since you are here, I planned on forgoing it. There is nothing there for me to attend to anyhow."

"Other than making sure, of course, that Natsu and Lucy make up."

"Oh?"

"Well, yes. Where am I to sleep if they do not?"

"Mmmm, I was thinking the couch."

"No fair," he said as he slowly got to his feet and walked over to her. She only stared down at the sink. "Erza."

"Tell me what is not fair about it."

"There should be some sort of seniority here," he told her as he made it over to the counter, though he only stood there, facing her. "And besides, I thought that tonight, perhaps you would wish to skip your evening workout and maybe I could treat you to dinner? As a show of gratitude for how you let me stay-"

"Ha!" She pointed a soapy finger at him. "You're trying to get out of your workout. Mr. I Can Do All Three. I knew-"

"We can go on that last workout after, if it's so important," he said, reaching out to grab that accusing finger. He had her full attention then, her turning to facing him and all. "But I still wish to take you out to dinner. If that's okay with you."

"I-"

"Aw yeah! Dinner sounds great!"

They both about died then as they turned to a far door in the kitchen that led down to her basement. In the doorway of it was Natsu with Happy resting atop his head. He had a huge grin spreading across his face just from the thought.

"We can all go out," he said. "We-"

"What are you- Have you been here the entire time?" Erza hissed as Jellal took a step away from her, releasing her finger as well. His eyes even drifted downward, as if he were shameful of being caught. "Natsu?"

"Of course," he said, holding up a helmet in his hand. "Hap and I were down there trying on all your armor and stuff you. You have all sorts of cool-"

"Give me that!" She crossed the room to snatch it from her. "And go! Back to Lucy's!"

"But-"

"You have ten seconds, Natsu, before you get another hit to the head." When the Exceed began to snicker at his friend being scolded, she added, "You too, Happy!"

"Sheesh," Natsu complained as he and Happy left the house in a hurry, his little buddy flying above him as they headed to the guildhall. Though Erza had been kinda rude about it, she was correct. The time was finally right for them to make up with Lucy. "You play a little bit of dress up with the woman's things and she-"

"Natsu," Happy snickered from above. "I think she was more embarrassed because we heard Jellal ask her, you know."

"Ask her what?"

"Out on a date!"

"What? No. Ew. Gross." He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Erza doesn't date. Erza isn't even… Gah! It makes me sick just thinking about it. Think Lucy will let us take the bed tonight? I need to lie down."

Happy only kept giggling. "I think Erza and Jellal are in _love_."

"Stop being gross," Natsu ordered, making a face.

Erza? And Jellal? Sickening. Bleck. He about vomited just from the thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Hospitality

Chapter 8

"You don't drink?" Jellal asked after he offered to order them a bottle of wine. She had declined that rather quickly.

"I do," she said slowly. "Just not…tonight."

He grinned at her from across the table in the restaurant they were in. "The Queen of the Fairies isn't afraid of a little red wine, is she?"

"No," she told him. "But we still have a workout to get to after this, do we not?"

"I suppose so," he agreed. "Unless we skip that workout."

"Do not think that you can fill me with food and force me to forget. I won't forget." She gave him a hard look, the gaze not ruined at all by the dim lighting or basket of bread between them. "I _never_ forget."

"Believe me," he said as he reached out for his glass of water. "I know."

Even without alcohol, dinner was quite enjoyable. Jellal for some reason kept insisting that she tell him about all the jobs she had taken as of late. He rather enjoyed listening to all of her battles, regularly disagreeing with her when she found fault in some of her actions.

"You won though, of course."

"Of course."

"Then why dwell on it?" He grinned at her. "Things are much easier in retrospect, but during the heat of the moment-"

"That is the whole point. To make things easier in the heat of the moment, I should go through all of my flaws in battle," she told him. "Then, hopefully, they won't be flaws any longer."

"I suppose you're right," he said slowly before flashing a smile at her. "But I'm pretty sure you can never be defeated anyhow."

"I told you to stop trying to flatter me."

"Why? Afraid that it's working?"

"More like I'm afraid of you embarrassing yourself."

After dinner, they found that Erza was wrong about one thing. The weather did not hold up until the next day. It was storming in a major way, with thunder and lighting accompanying the large pellets of water that were dropping from the sky. Jellal thought that Erza would have some sort of costume or something to reequip into that had, at the very least, an umbrella, but she only laughed at the suggestion.

"Why?" she asked before taking a mocking tone, the same he'd use on her previously. "Not afraid of a little water are you, Jellal?"

"No," he told her. "But-"

"Good. Because the workout starts now." Then she shoved him gently in the shoulder and took off running down the mostly empty sidewalk.

"Erza," he groaned as he started after her. "You-"

"Race you."

"That's not fair," he complained, easily catching her. "I don't know where we're running to!"

"Won't matter anyhow," she told him. "I'll beat you anyways."

That had to have been the best and worst workout of the entire day, for many different reasons. The water was the main one. At times, it was nice, as it felt almost ice cold when his body temperature began to rise, but the rest of the time, it mostly just served as an irritant as it made his blue hair fall down over his eyes.

Erza ran with ease though. Even in her armor! And when they made it deep into one of the forest, the canopy of tree branches offering some reprieve from the weather, she just kept right on until they made it to a clearing.

"I win," she announced, hardly out of breath. He only came to a stop next to her, panting slightly.

"You don't have, like, some water or something in reequip space or something, do you?" he asked, out of breath. She only rolled her eyes though.

"Oh, Jellal."

A rousing sparring session followed their run. That was what made it the best of the three, honestly. The rain was soaking them thoroughly and the ground beneath their feet was nothing short of pure mud. They slipped and tumbled all about, but that was nice too.

"Aren't you worried about your armor rusting?" Jellal complained at one point as Erza somehow managed to pin him to the ground.

"It won't," she assured him, apparently not finding anything interesting about their current position. He tried hard to mimic her in that regard. "I'll clean it the minute we get home."

"And when is that again?"

As she was above him, she only reached out and gently slapped his cheek. "Don't be such a baby."

Bemused, he frowned up at her as he asked, "Who said that slapping was allowed?"

She did it again. "I did."

The whole thing more or less just devolved from there, going from a semi-serious training session and more to him trying to get her as muddy as possible as Erza gave perhaps her least resistant performance of her life. It ended with them both on their backs next to one another, her still laughing about him accidentally getting some of the mud in his mouth and him just trying to get some breath back. It was hard though as he found himself chuckling just as hard as her.

And then, slowly, the laughter died and the mood changed and they were just two grown adults, laying around in the mud, for no good reason. This seemed to hit Erza first, who found her way to her feet.

Not even attempting to help the man she'd just abused (he considered it definite abuse) to his feet, she took off into a quick sprint, a call of something about a race coming from over her shoulder, a stipulation about the first one there getting the shower before the other.

"Now I know how you never get beat," he groaned as he got to his feet. "You always cheat!"

She beat him back to the house though, honestly, he wasn't so sure there was ever a chance she wouldn't. When he arrived, he was drenched and would have felt kind of bad about walking into her new house in such a way, had he not seen the puddles she'd left behind on the hardwood floor, leading to the bathroom.

"This isn't fair," he yelled to her, over the sound of the shower going. Banging gently on the bathroom door, he said, "You started before me, so really, if you add up our go times to our finish times-"

"I think, Jellal," she called over the noise and from behind the door, "that I am more the wiser about fairness when compared to you. No?"

"You could just change into something else. I actually have to-"

'You have clothes."

"You have clothes," he mocked in her voice as he headed off to go get his bag. With a roll of his eyes, he whispered her name before smiling slightly.

It had to have been the best day they'd spent with one another since…he didn't know how long. Start to finish, it'd become one of his favorite days ever. Every second of it.

And, as he reminded himself, it had yet to conclude.

"I didn't use all the hot water," Erza told him a few minutes later as they passed one another in the hall, her exiting the bathroom as he was entering.

"Not all," he said. "Just most. Right?"

"Well, it is my house."

"Mmmm. That hospitality thing wear off or something?"

"Never took you as a sore loser."

"Yeah, bet you didn't," he grumbled as he shut the door behind him.

The second he was gone from her view, Erza rushed to her room, as if to just get away from him for a minute. Shutting the door behind her, she took to leaning against it, able to hide the shame of her reddening face in the darkness.

The way they'd been since dinner was just so…so…different than they were. Almost as if they were complete opposites. It had to have been the most relaxed she'd ever been around him, honestly, in ages.

Ever, maybe.

She didn't know what it was, but she just felt…good. Relaxed. At ease. And…and honestly, she felt a lot happier than she did most of the time when the two of them were together. Even silence had been good that day, not long and drawn out. So far, their usual gauche moments had been reduced to, maybe, just when Natsu disturbed them in the kitchen. Other than that, it'd been, and she was hesitant to say it, but perfect.

Or at the very least, the closest the two of them had ever been. And probably would ever get, honestly.

"So far," she reminded herself. Because whereas Jellal was hoping the night would only get better, Erza was still holding out for that one big moment that destroyed everything.

She saw it happen more in her life than anyone should experience.

"Here's to hoping," she mumbled before figuring she'd better head back to the living room as to wait for him. The day was over, but the night had only just begun.

* * *

><p>"Are we going to do this every night? Clean armor?"<p>

"I have enough to fill all of my own time, yes," Erza sighed as they two sat on the living room floor, polishing her main armor. "And how many nights are you planning on being here, Jellal?"

He only sat there in a pair of loose pants and an undershirt, grinning at her. "How many am I allotted, Erza?"

"Well, they say bad company is like fish. Three days tops," she said. "Especially with Happy, considering he carries raw fish around on him, but-"

"That's for normal company," he told her.

"Oh? And what are you?"

"I'm great company."

"Don't sell yourself so high," she said. "I rather like you better with Meredy around."

"Is that so?"

"That is so."

He only sighed before shaking his head. "I just hope she is fine on her own."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Erza gave him a look. "She's more than capable of looking out for herself."

"Coming from the person who frets over Wendy if she goes anywhere without Romeo and Carla."

"That's different."

"Hardly."

She stared hard at him for a moment as he only focused on the armor. Then, slowly, she said, "I'm a protective person though. You, for the most part, are not."

"That's not true," he reasoned. "You are, of course, a protective person, but overly so. You protect anything and everyone. I, however, only protect things that I find of great value."

"That must be a short list," she remarked, making a face as she took looked back down at the armor in her hand. He only looked up though.

"You think so?"

"Well, let's see. There's yourself at the top-"

"Already wrong."

"Sorry, do you fill up two spaces?"

He laughed slightly, grinning at her. "You wanna know where you place?"

That brought her some pause before she shrugged. "If you truly have it mapped out-"

"I'd put you at fifth."

"…How long is this list?"

More laughter. "Do not play as if I am any higher on your own."

Glancing at him, she said, "I do not need to protect you. Once, maybe, but not any longer."

"And I haven't you since we were children," he said. "But you're still on there. Because I want you to be."

She let that settle for a moment or two before saying, "What exactly is one through four?"

"Erza," he groaned. "It was a joke. I don't know where you place."

"It was not like I cared," she said then, as if in an offhanded sort of a way. "I only-"

"Would you be…jealous?" he asked then, almost amused. "If there were four things above you?"

"No," she told him then. "I don't need you to protect me."

"I agree," he assured her. "But that doesn't mean that you'd hate for me to think that you did, does it?"

They'd reached an odd part of the conversation though and she felt the perfect evening slipping away. Maybe that was their problem. It was when they got serious, rather it had humorous undertones or not, that they ended up in a bad place.

When she didn't answer, Jellal let it go and they fell, finally, into their usual awkward silence. Why she even fought it, she didn't know. Maybe it was better to just go along with it.

It was not until they were finished with her armor that things got even more awkward. They found themselves sitting there, on the floor, like children or something, just staring at one another.

"So," Jellal said slowly at that point, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Does this mean that our date's over?"

"Date?" she asked, almost choking on the word. "What-"

"Is that not-"

"No," she said before blushing. "Was it?"

"I thought-"

"You said you were taking me out as a sign of appreciation."

"Yeah, but I still…" He looked off then. "Well. This…this is bad."

"N-No," she said slowly. "It was actually really…good. For a date. If it was that."

"You think?"

"For a first date? It was actually…nice."

And then they were both grinning, if only a little.

"Except for the run."

"No, that was what made it nice," she corrected. "Your dinner conversations were rather bland."

"Were they? Because I remember them all centering around you," he said, staring hard at her. "Which would mean you were bland. And Erza? You are far from bland."

Narrowing her eyes then, she said, "Just for that, every date will end in a run."

"Every date?"

Her face was scarlet then, outshining her hair, if only slightly.

"What?"

"What?"

Then they just sat there, staring. Slowly though, he grinned again.

"You're rather forward, Scarlet," he said with a wag of the finger. "No self-respecting woman makes the second date before the first is even over."

"Considering you're currently staying with said woman and the date can't end because you're not leaving, I think we're even, Fernandez."

And he laughed, but she was holding off on it, only taking to cross her arms and looking off.

"Don't be like that," he said. "It was just a joke. In fact…"

"What?"

He only shrugged. "It took me this long to make this first date. The second one should rest squarely on your shoulders."

She only let out a soft sigh. "Be prepared though."

"For?"

"I don't make much of a frequent date."

"Ah. Well, considering I don't either, we might be in the same boat."

She shook her head. "By the third, most do not find me an…intriguing date."

"You? Men love you. They-"

"I know," she sighed. "But apparently one on one, I am not very…pleasing."

"Not you."

"Yes, me," she insisted. "I am very hard to get along with. I have many quirks."

"You do," he said then with a nod of his head. "A lot."

"Jellal-"

"Well." Then he was moving across the floor to sit next to her. Smiling at her, he said, "But…I think it's pretty cute. Like how when you hug someone, you get so excited that you slam their head into your armor and give them a concussion."

"I don't do that."

"Erza."

"…You should all toughen up!" Her fearlessness dissipated quickly once more as he shifted to rest an arm over her shoulders. "J-Jellal?"

He only let out a soft sigh. "Then the way you always manage to find trouble, no matter where you go. It's almost as if you attract it."

"Well, it is sort of my job."

"And since apparently you're afraid of alcohol-"

"I am not." She elbowed him. "I'd just rather-"

"Great. If you're not afraid of it, then you'd happily have a drink with me tomorrow."

She paused before glancing up at him. "Is it a date?"

"It can be."

She let out a soft sigh before slowly moving to lean against him. "Fine, but just know, we're running after."

He blinked before glancing down at her. It wasn't until she looked back up at him that he leaned down, making her think that he was going to kiss her. Instead, he only turned his head and whispered right in her ear,

"I wouldn't have it any other way."


	9. Chapter 9

Hospitality

Chapter 9

The original plan was for them to have a drink at the guildhall. That sounded like a good idea to Erza when she first thought it up. If she got even a tad bit out of control, Lucy or Mirajane would be there to help reel her back in and, hopefully, not make a full of herself in front of Jellal.

But just as they were leaving to head down there, another thought hit her. If she took him there for a drink and they acted as they had the night before, it'd be nearly impossible for the others to not know that they were dating. And although she was toying nicely with the idea herself, the thought of her guild members knowing was still…raw to her. Fresh.

She wasn't so sure she was ready for that.

So at the last minute, she told Jellal that they were going somewhere else. Anywhere else. He could eve pick. She was forfeiting her safety net for the chance of keeping her (possible) relationship a secret for just a tad longer.

For the record, the plan the whole night was to each have one drink and then they'd go for that workout. But…as Erza was soon reminded, she can't just have one drink. Even just the tiniest of liquor ran right through her. For the one that had the pain threshold of a beast, she had the alcohol tolerance of a small child.

Which, promptly, Jellal found out.

He was much more controlled, of course, and tried a few times to keep her in check. Erza was having none of it. They drank and drank and drank. And then, obviously, they were headed the same place, so…

So…

Ugh.

She couldn't remember exactly how it happened. Not really. But somehow, she found herself basically offering him everything. Anything. And truthfully, it had been awhile.

A long while.

She couldn't truly speak for him, but the lack of resistance (he did tell her once that they weren't using their heads and she should think of the consequences, bleh) was more than enough of an indicator that his abstinence, if it existed, was not self-imposed.

Or perhaps it had been. It sounded like one of the things he would keep himself from. It, above all else, was one of the better things in life. And for a long time, he'd been keeping himself far from any and all things pleasurable. So maybe he was breaking that vow, just for her.

She was too drunk at the time to care.

There was a lot of laughter, she remembered, though it was mostly just hers. Though he was more composed than she was, he was intoxicated too. But Jellal intoxicated did not equate to Erza intoxicated. He almost seemed…colder. Distant.

That? That she remembered.

Then again, it could have just been what they found themselves doing when they got back to her home, there, in her bedroom, that had him behaving that way. Maybe he was just focused. More so than her. And considering her brain was mush at that point and none of her actions would make sense to anyone, it wasn't a hard title for him to obtain.

Buried in her memory, as if ingrained, was the sound he made when, even in the darkness, he got his first good look at her. Truly her. It was a breath, really, with the syllables of her name intermingled.

Whatever it was, it made her feel good. Really good. But in no way better than when he buried his head in her neck and whispered something about taking too long, how could they have let it take so long, just to reach that point.

And how could they?

Her breath never rightly caught up to the rest of her the entire time. She didn't think his did either. It felt like an eternity, but she knew, as intoxicated as they both were, it very well might have only been a minute, if not slightly more.

But it felt like a lot. It felt like forever. She wanted it to be her forever.

Even at the conclusion though, she was still jittery. Antsy. As if anticipating more. He only laid there though, shifting off her slightly though he never lost contact, moaning something about how she'd hate him in the morning.

Maybe. But at the moment, she was just so…so…so drunk. Why did she ever let herself get like that again?

Then he was shifting to lay on his back, eyes shut as he let out a really long breath then. No words attached. No whispering her name. She wondered, foggily, if he was already regretting it.

Turning too, she moved to rest against him, right there on his chest, as if testing to see if he moved her. He didn't. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Clarity was so far from her then that it would be a few hours before she was back to being herself. So he figured he'd soak it up, all of it, every last ounce, because he just knew that when Erza was back to being Erza, he was in some trouble.

Not that he was in his right mind either. As he replayed it all in his mind, he couldn't remember what exactly had sparked between them, what made them so bold. He recalled her guzzling down drinks and him only smiling because, as he was finding out in that moment, drunk Erza was fun.

Then he realized she could also be a handful.

There was one guy in the bar that she just about got into a fist fight with. And for that man's sake, he'd drug her out, both of them drunk and tripping over their feet. The second they got out there though, to the street outside, they'd begun laughing. Loudly. Wasn't it all just so funny? It all just felt so funny.

In those moments, it seemed hilarious. And she looked so pretty, or so he observed, when she laughed. Really laughed.

Or maybe it was just the liquor in him. Either way, he found himself telling her that and making her promise to laugh every time they saw one another from that point forth. To have not only a good time, but a great one.

She deserved it.

Somehow they found their way back to the house, giggling the entire way. She was mostly just trying not to fall over, which meant using him for support, but that wasn't so good, as he was attempting to do the same thing.

It was not working out so well.

And with her leaning against him, it was just so easy to kiss her. He didn't even remember thinking about doing it. It just…it happened. And they were at her door and Erza told him to come sit down, so they could talk. Only her words were slurred and his vision was blurry and when they sat down, somehow they were practically on top of one another. It only took a little bit of shifting for her to be in her lap, which she used to her advantage.

Drunk Erza was, apparently, also a horny one. Or at least she was that night. And he would be a liar not to admit that…well…

He'd always more or less been interested in her. She was just so intriguing. In every way. And when he told her that, she only laughed and reminded him, slurred words and all, of what she'd said the day before.

By the third date, she wouldn't be.

So he told her that he didn't want to make it to the third then. Forget dates. They'd never date again. Because he wanted them to stay just as they were in that moment. And if another date meant ruining that, then they'd ban it. They'd never go out to dinner, to the theater, they'd never leave the house. They'd just sit there, on that couch, and never end their current date.

If you got enough alcohol in him, he became very verbose.

But what he was saying was beyond Erza's comprehension at that point. She'd only nodded along, staring hard at him. When he finished, she made a request.

Instead of the couch, she reasoned, they should spend the rest of forever in her bedroom. TI was much more spacious, she'd assured him. And then, giggling, she'd told him that there was also reading material.

And before he knew it, she was kissing him that time. There were no questions about it. It was definitely her that kissed him. If she was so willing, why should he resist? How many times should he, anyhow? He'd given so much for his sins. So much. And in his drunken mind, he reasoned that all the people he'd hurt, why, they wouldn't mind, would they, if he and Erza just…if they just kissed? Would they care?

It was just kissing after all…that involved into touching…that involved into undress…and then it was what it was. He warned her, at one point, that they weren't thinking. They were drunk, he tried to say. But it all got confused, tumbling out of his mouth at once, and he was confused.

Oh, was he confused.

Erza was just so…breath taking. Even without all of her little costumes and armors. He'd always just wanted…well, really, just to bury his head in her breasts would be enough for him, even if it was only for a second.

And she was just open for it. All of it. Any of it. She even egged him on. She seemed to been just as enraptured by him.

It was meant to be. It had to be. He'd wanted it for so long, so very, very long.

For some reason, it didn't bother him then, how many others had had the same privilege she was then, albeit drunkenly, bestowing on him. It didn't matter. It truly didn't. Because there was no past anymore. There was just them, in that moment, together, wrapped in one another, all sins and glory forgotten.

How had he ever lived his life without Erza? Ugh. Lost time…

Last time…

First time…

He didn't know anymore. His thoughts were more than just scrambled and she didn't seem to be much help. Even when it was all over, she wouldn't leave him alone, wouldn't let him think.

She'd hate him in the morning. Probably try and kick him out. He told this to her, but she didn't seem to think so. Oh, no. In that moment, everything was perfect. It was bliss.

Finally, _finally_ she got to have that one moment to herself, where her mind was clear of everything.

It felt _so_ good.

Then. Right then. For both of them. But as he was coming back down, he knew she'd follow at a much slower pace. Over wouldn't even begin to describe them when that happened.

But if he had to waste his chance, his one chance, he'd have done it on that. On being with her. He'd never give up that memory.

Not for anything.

* * *

><p>"Jellal?"<p>

His name sounded funny against her thick pillow, which she currently had her face buried in.

"Hmmm?"

"What time is it?"

"It's middle of the night. Probably around four."

"I'm drunk."

"Coming down off it."

"Mmmm." She didn't move anything but her head, turning it then to face him. He was only lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. When he felt her eyes though, he turned his head too, locking eyes easily.

"Do I have to leave?"

"Leave?" she mumbled.

"To go to the couch. Or the guest room."

"That'd be silly," she told him, voice still tainted in sleep, though the traces of alcohol hadn't completely diminished either. "You're already here."

"Hmmm." He smiled at her softly. "You're not mad."

"Mmm-mmm."

"Good." His head went back to how it was, so he could stare at her ceiling once more. "We were both just…drunk."

"Still drunk."

"You are, yeah," he sighed. It'd been at least six hours. He was pretty much sober once more. "It won't happen again."

"That's too bad," she told him through a yawn before her eyes slipped shut again. "I was kinda counting on it."

Then he smiled and she fell back into a drunk slumber. It was all good for a few hours too.

Until she woke up. And that time, her body wasn't coming down. It had already hit the ground resulting in a horrific crash.

There was no soft whisper of his name or moaning. Just a loud groan as her headache hit in her full force, the light streaming in through her window reminded her of the consequence of her night.

One of the consequences, or she was reminded when she heard the sound of someone in bed with her.

"Jellal," she groaned.

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"I finally understand it, Erza," she heard him say as slowly, so very slowly, she shifted onto her side to stare at him. "Why you love these things. I mean, it's just so disheartening, right? To think that Monica would sleep with Yozo when she's with Eiji? It's madness! Although, what they did together was, well… I get why you enjoy these, is the point."

She didn't even look to see what book it was he was holding in his hands. She only rolled back onto her stomach and let out a long moan.

She'd died. She had to have.

"What time is it?" she whispered softly. He heard her though.

"Past sunrise. So you missed your evening and morning run. Hmmm. And looking at you, I think you're missing the afternoon too."

"Jellal," she groaned. "How are you not-"

"Hungover? It would take a lot more than the measly amount of liquor I consumed to bring me down, Erza." Reaching over, he patted her on the head gently with one hand. "Allow me to finish this chapter and then I will go and get you some aspirin and a glass of water, yes?"

It didn't matter. He could bring her anything in that moment and she'd be just as miserable, no matter what.

Not to mention, finally, time was rewinding slowly for her and she was remembering just why Jellal was naked in her bed and she was, after a glance, just as nude.

"Needa shower," she mumbled. "Go to guild."

"Just rest for now," he said. "I'm sure if they needed you, they'd come get you."

That alone was a very scary thought.

It took awhile, but eventually she found the strength to head off and take a shower. Jellal promised to make her some breakfast too, when she got out, but she was nearly certain he wasn't going anywhere without that book.

Sigh.

"It is just so interesting," he told her simply when she joined him in the kitchen. He was a the table, a bowl of cracked eggs in front of him, clearly having been stirring them, but instead taking to reading. With a sigh, she went to take it from him and start on breakfast instead.

"Interesting," she repeated slowly. "Surely, as a man, you do not-"

"Quite honestly, Erza," he said then, glancing over at her. "There are things in here that I have never…that I wouldn't even think of…"

Ugh. She needed another drink.

When they finally found themselves seated at the table, right across from one another (she'd turned the kitchen light out though and they were eating by the sunlight streaming in through the window), she finally told her what had been bothering her the most.

"I mean," she went on as he only stared at her. "I know that he and Lucy probably did make up, but what if they didn't? And he, like, somehow got in last night? And heard us?"

"W-Well, he's not a child. I'm sure that Natsu-"

"But don't you get it, Jellal? How would I ever live that down? He'd tell everyone. And I mean everyone."

"You two are friends though. He-"

"He once told us all how Lucy got food poisoning and spent the entire night in the bathroom. In graphic detail. Until she summoned Taurus to pummel him."

He blinked. "Even if he does tell, what does it matter?"

"Mirajane-"

"Mirajane is sleeping with Laxus, right? The yellow haired one that scowls a lot and listens to god-awful music?"

"That's one way of describing him, yes."

"Then why would you care what she thinks?" Jellal asked. "Because, while I rather like Laxus, as he has never done me wrong, I do not see him as quite the catch. So is she really someone to worry about? I mean, Erza, you're the Queen of the Fairies. What is she? A barmaid that, when severely pushed, can become a few demons? I'll tell you who'd I'd put my money on. _Every single time_."

And then, for the first time since she'd awoke to find herself in a horrible mood, Erza felt herself grinning. He was quick to match her.

They'd taken a step and, as it was turning out, the world hadn't come to a screeching halt. No one was hurt. They were both fine. More than fine.

Err, well, she would be, when her hangover was completely gone, but that was beside the point.

She had to have spent most of the day in bed. It was the only place, her bedroom was, that was dark enough to accommodate her ailment. Err, rather, her sensitivity to light brought on by carelessness. Maybe the basement, but she'd resisted going down there so far, as not to see just how much damage Natsu and Happy had dealt.

Jellal followed her back to her bedroom, cautiously laying down on the bed with her. It was different, in the daylight, when they were both sober, than it had been in the cover of darkness with both of them drunk beyond belief.

"Just so you know," she mumbled lazily at one point as he sat there, still reading that dang novel. "I was drunk last night."

"Yeah, Erza, I-"

"No, I mean…last night? When we..." She blushed slightly, as she had a few of 'em saved up from the night before. "That was me intoxicated. I honestly don't think, Fernandez, that you can handle sober me."

Then he smiled over at her before looking back at the book in his hands. "Well, if you're anything like your novels-"

"Jellal-"

"That wasn't me last night either," he told her then. "It truly wasn't. And if I ever find myself in your good graces once more-"

"I think you just might," she cut him off as she shut her eyes. Then, because it had to come up eventually anyhow, she asked, "How long… How long had it been for you?"

"A while," he said, going back to the book them.

"Me too."

"But what does it matter?"

She imagined how he'd been, back when he masqueraded as Siegrain. She figured he'd had quite a few women in his grasps back then.

But it wasn't like she could throw stones. It wasn't as if she'd ever had someone in an overly intimate way, but…she'd been with men before. So maybe he was right.

What did it matter?

She dozed off once more, eventually and, after some more time on that novel, Jellal set it back in its place, on her bedside table, before shifting to lay there next to her. It felt more comfortable that time. He was more comfortable.

Neither spoke of how it couldn't last. How, before they knew it, he'd be back out there, hunting down dark guilds.

And how soon, they were surprised. Because as it turned out, it was that day.

They were both in and out of consciousness when it occurred. Erza remembered a gasp and then a snicker, over in the doorway. And since she could still feel Jellal beneath her, as she was resting once more against his chest, she knew that it had to be someone else.

"Meredy?" she mumbled in shock, thinking for a moment that she was only seeing things. But no, she was there, in her room, staring at the two of them in bed.

"How did you get in here?" Jellal exclaimed when he noticed her as well, lazily peeking an eye open to find her there.

"You should really learn to lock your front door, Erza," she said simply. "Besides, I didn't really know if you'd be here or not. I thought about knocking, but-"

"W-We can explain," the redhead tried to say as she shoved away from him. But Meredy only shook her head.

"There's no time. That's why I came to get you, Jellal. I found something, on my vacation. Something big. So come on!" Then she snickered. "We can talk about this on the way."

And just like that, it was over, shattered, before they'd really gotten comfortable with the idea of it even being a thing. And as Jellal hurried packed, he did manage to promise Erza one thing.

"I'll be back," was all he said. "Soon. I promise."

And as Meredy was off, waiting for him out on the porch, she only crossed her arms and gave him a look, standing over him in a judgmental way.

"Well, I would hope so," she said simply. "We are still on our date, are we not?"

His mind was so discombobulated then that it took a minute for him to place her words. When he did, he smiled, tossing his bag over his shoulder before going over to her.

"Our second, correct?"

"That's correct."

Then he smiled at her and, reaching one hand out to grab her, cheek, he gently pressed a kiss against her lips.

"Goodbye, Erza."

She only smiled though, a grin almost too girly for her face.

"Just don't get killed, Jellal."

"Never."

With that, he was gone, off with Meredy. Quite honestly, she kinda felt bad for him. She knew that no matter how serious whatever threat there was going on, Meredy would still find time to tease him about what she'd witnessed.

Erza only sighed though, alone once more in her house.

Now she just had to find a way to tell her own friends…

* * *

><p><strong>The next one's the last one, heads up. <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Hospitality

Chapter 10

It felt good to be in Magnolia once more. Truly, it did. Erza had been out of it for a week and, well, it was always nice to return.

Even nicer was it to have a home to come home to.

Her house was dark when she arrived, just as she'd left it. There was just something in the way that the door stuck slightly and she had to push against it and the scent that, though she was sure was unique to her, she could no longer smell. That was what home was.

She heated almost immediately to the kitchen, wishing to get a glass of water and relax some. Part of her was always a little disappointed when she came home from a job to find her place empty It was never that way at the dormitory, after all. But then she'd find herself liking the peace and quiet.

Especially if her last mission had been with Natsu and the others. Then she really needed that silence, if only to find her sanity once more.

That night was much the same. She had gone off on a job with the whole team, which, as always, ended in an extended adventure. Not that she was complaining. Oh, no. Though she craved solitude at times, there was nothing she enjoyed more than being around her team.

They were the best of the best, after all.

While she was in her kitchen though, she heard the distinct sound of a door opening and closing. She froze, over there by the sink, before slowly turning off the tap and turning around.

Natsu and Happy had just been with her, after all, so she knew that it could not be them. Then-

At the sound of footsteps, she took up a post by the entranceway to the kitchen, back against the wall, waiting. Just as the person walked into the room.

"Arg! Erza!"

She'd tackled him effortlessly to the ground, pinning the intruder beneath her. At the sound of the voice though, she knew exactly who it was.

"I am beginning to think," he complained as she stayed atop him, only staring down at him in shock, "that you are doing this on purpose."

"Jellal," she breathed, still only grinning down at him in the darkness. "I-"

"The last time I was here, you attacked me while I was sleeping."

"But-"

"And the time before that I was in the shower when you arrived and-"

"I just was not expecting you," she told him as she slowly pushed off and got to her feet. "Any of those times."

"You gave me a key and told me to use it as I please." He took her hand and used it to pull himself off when she offered it to him. "You even said if you were not home, to wait for you. So I have. And now you-"

"I have apologized," she complained. "What more do you want?"

"You didn't apologize!"

"You never gave me a chance!"

But they were both grinning, regardless of their tones and just as quickly as she had helped him stand, she about brought him back down again.

"I think you gave me a concussion," he complained after she moved to hug him. He fell for it like always though, ending up with his head slammed against her armor. "Again."

She only grinned though. "How long have you been here?"

"I only arrived this afternoon and was planning on just staying the evening when I found you gone. Good timing, I suppose." He was still rubbing at his head though. "You were out on a job, I take it?"

"With Natsu, Lucy, and Gray."

"And Happy."

She nodded. "Of course."

Dropping his hand then, he looked her over. "And I suppose you are returning victorious?"

That got him a look. Instead of retorting, she only headed back over to the sink for that glass of water.

"Is Meredy here as well?" she asked.

"No," he sighed, coming over. "She went down to the guildhall. I do not know if she plans on returning here or not."

"Then you can tell me alone of that you have done," she said slowly, glancing at him. "Since I saw you last."

It was always awkward at first, when they were around one another again. Since that first horrible drunken mistake, they'd made a shaky arrangement that had served to keep them together for the past six months. He would come and visit her whenever possible and, when he did, they tried their hardest to date.

It wasn't easy.

Neither very too well versed in relationships to begin with and, honestly, the idea of being together, though very enticing, also scared each for different reasons. He always seemed to be convinced that she was still harboring ill will against him for his past actions while she never rightly believed that he would stay interested in her. And even when they got passed all of that, they had her guild members to deal with.

Mirajane had to have teased her about it, oh, over a thousand times. And Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy were annoying about the whole thing too, constantly asking her about him. Natsu and Happy just appeared to be concerned that if he was around, they weren't allowed to crash with her, which she assured them was not the case.

"Yeah, but," Natsu said as Happy snickered from behind him, "then we might have to hear you guys having sex or something."

Which ended with him getting a swift knock to the head as she only blushed and Happy ran for cover.

"No man gets left behind, Hap," Natsu growled.

"Those rules don't apply when Erza's involved!"

And Meredy wasn't any better. She didn't bother Erza much, but whenever they came into Magnolia, she would immediately begin bugging him about it, taking jabs left and right.

Of course, those times were rare. And in those six months, they'd only seen each other a total of four times. And the first was so completely awkward that it hardy counted, the second was much of the same, but by the third, they both seemed to come around to the idea.

And now, apparently, he just walked around her house like he owned it.

Not that Erza hated that.

They found themselves that particular night in the living room, after she put a pot of water on for the tea and found a snack. He wanted to hear about her latest job first, but she deferred.

"I'd much rather hear about you."

"Erza Scarlet not wishing to talk about her accomplishments? I'm shocked."

"Please," she retorted with an eye roll. "It's more ground breaking that you have yet to brag of yours."

He only smiled at that, looking rather ragged in that moment. She figured he had been napping when she arrived.

They must have talked for an hour or two, a feat that was becoming the norm for them. So much went on in their lives while they were apart that they usually found themselves spending half of their time together just retelling events.

It was late though and, after about the fifth time she caught him stifling a yawn, she decreed that it was time for them to retire.

"If you are tired," he mocked as he got to his feet, pushing up from the couch slowly. "It is your house, after all."

"If I am tired?" she repeated, scoffing. "I was more than prepared to have an evening workout."

"Ah, yes, well, that would only ruin the great night we have ahead of us."

When he caught the way her cheeks darkened at his remark, he almost tried to backtrack. But given the look in her eyes, he figured it was a good blush and left it be.

"I see you did some reading," Erza remarked when they made it to her bedroom, him immediately going to grab the discarded novel from the bed, where he'd left it. "Anything interest?"

It was his turn for a blush, though he only nodded his head slightly, returning it to the bookcase.

"I have found that most of it is," he said as he quickly crossed back over to her, laying a hand softly on her shoulder, the armor feeling cool to the touch. Erza only stared at him though, waiting for him to speak.

"You know," Jellal said slowly as he only grinned at her, if only slightly. "You do not always have to reequip."

Raising an eyebrow, she waited for more. "Oh?"

He nodded, bowing his head as his voice hardly a whisper. "I hear disrobing is half the fun."

"You hear?"

"I read," he corrected, making her grin. He liked that. Making her grin. He unhurriedly moved his hand from her shoulder, instead wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer. Allowing this, she took to resting her head against his chest.

"You haven't showered," she remarked softly. He only frowned.

"You're not too fresh here either."

"Mmmm. Don't make me give you a real concussion."

"You have quite the mouth for a queen, Titania."

"Would you rather I just have you beheaded?"

He only hugged her tighter then. "No. I definitely wouldn't."

* * *

><p>Jellal was restless for most of the night. He was tired, sure, and he was content, fine, but he just couldn't fall asleep. Erza had no problem with it, but he just…<p>

He didn't know where they were going in the morning. Usually he and Meredy already had a destination in mind the second they finished one job, but that time, nothing had seemed to pop up. She'd gone down to Fairy Tail though, so eh was sort of hoping that someone there had given her information.

It was doubtful though, as if he knew Fairy Tail members like he thought he did, the second they got a whiff of adventure, they'd snag it for themselves.

Maybe, he thought at one point, we just won't go anywhere.

Which was a bad thought to have. He would never find a dark guild if he didn't go hunt one out. And he'd taken too much time off in the past few months for Erza as it was. But he just couldn't…

He liked it too much. All of it. Just being around her. And for so long he had kept her forbidden, all of her. He thought that restricted access would be enough after that, but all he found himself doing was craving more. He found himself toying with the idea of unrestricting her all together. Of maybe…staying.

It wasn't like he didn't know though that that was completely out of the question. He was still atoning for many, many things. And just because Erza found it in her heart to let him in, it didn't mean that his hands were still stained, a blot that only eternity would was away.

"You can't do this forever," Meredy would tell him at times.

"I can," he assured her. "And I will. You, however, can't."

"I'll never leave you, Jellal," she laughed. For some reason though, that didn't make him feel any better. About anything.

Eventually, he wanted Meredy to find true happiness. It was out there for her. She wasn't completely guilty. Not in his mind. Not of the atrocities that he was. She could be normal. Really, she could. And she should.

He heard her at some point that night enter the house, quietly. She only went to the guest bedroom, trying to not wake them. Erza though was the most alert person he knew.

"At least she's home," she mumbled to him as she laid with her back to his side of the bed. "It was getting late."

"Thought you were asleep?"

"I was."

He grinned, glancing over at her. "You have the hearing of a mouse."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Is it not? I assume that mice have great hearing."

"They have a good sense of smell and great stealth abilities, but-"

"Just let me have this one."

She rolled over slowly, staring at him with bleary eyes. "What time are you leaving in the morning?"

"Go back to sleep," he sighed as he shut his own eyes. "I don't know yet."

"You are quite lazy now," she agreed. "You'll probably lay around in bed for a few hours, like a sloth."

"I'm not rising to the bait, Erza."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Of course not." He yawned slightly. "I can't sleep."

"Reading always helps put me to sleep."

"As shocking as this might be, Erza," he said, "your books do anything, but lull me off."

"I do not only own erotica," she told him with a frown, as if offended. He'd have rolled his eyes, had they been opened.

"But mostly," he sighed. "And books on things such as acupuncture. Or, in other words, books that teach you how to torture me."

"I do own a detailed book on medieval torture methods," she told him as she drifted off once more.

"Do you know?"

"Only to read the descriptions of the different weaponry."

"I might have believed that," he said, "before you tried to paralyze me."

"You do something one time," she complained as he only grinned.

She was curled lower on the bed than him and her head was only a few inches from her chest. When she would breathe out, he could feel her breath against his flesh. It was…comforting.

Without even thinking about it, he fell asleep. Huh.

It only lasted a few hours though. As promptly at her usual hour, Erza was up and leaving the room. She'd tried to do so without waking him, but not used to guests, had shut her bedroom door a tad loudly on her way out.

He shot up and rushed to catch her, not calling out, as he was fearful of waking Meredy.

"You can come," she sighed as, after hurriedly dressing, he managed to find her doing stretches on the front porch. "But do not hold me back."

He could never quite get over how dedicated Erza was to her workout regimen. She was a machine. Even at the end of it, she did not seem the least bit tired. Or at least she didn't let it show.

And when Meredy asked as they arrived back home, he'd let her win the race back.

"So she could have the shower first," he explained as he stood, drenched in sweat in the kitchen, waiting for his turn. "It's only courteous, after all."

"Uh-huh." Meredy only grinned from where she was seated at the kitchen table, already having got up and made herself breakfast. "Or you just got your butt kicked by your girlfriend."

Erza didn't call herself that and he never referred to her as that, but hearing someone else says so felt…nice.

"Maybe," he sighed as he went to claim a chair at the table. "But don't let her know that."

"I think she already does." She grinned at him. "So when are we taking off? After your shower?"

He raised his head slightly. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."

"Oh?"

"Aye. Erza will brag endlessly next time we around near that I was not brave enough to stick around for all three training sessions."

"Is that your excuse?"

"We do not even know where to head next," he told her. "So what would be the point of heading out with no destination?"

"Then how long do you plan on staying here?"

"Just as I said," he replied. "Tonight. And then, if you have not picked up any leads from the guildhall or around town, we can just visit neighboring areas in hopes of picking something up."

Meredy only bit into a piece of toast before saying, "Or you could admit that we're staying at least three days and we could both go on with life."

Or that.

Erza did not take long in the shower and, after his, she started on their own breakfast.

"I always feel odd," he admitted to her after Meredy had headed down to the guild to see if Juvia or someone equally as fun was around.

"About what?" Erza glanced over at him from the counter, where she was scrambling eggs in a bowl. "Being here?"

"Watching you cook," he corrected. "As if I am imposing."

"You are a guest," she said with a shrug, going back to what she was doing. "It would be impolite of me to ask you to help. Unhospitable."

"I-"

"Inhospitable," they both heard then from the basement doorway. Erza frowned when she found Natsu standing there. "I finally got one. You said it wrong. I was right. You-"

"When did you-"

"While you guys were out training," he said. "I tried to go to my room, but you apparently have been letting Meredy sleep in there. How long has this been going on, huh?"

"Since the beginning," Jellal said as Erza only rolled her eyes.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my armor?" she said, tone a tad harsh.

"You told me not to mess up your armor," he corrected. "I was just testing out weapons."

"You-"

"A sword would suit you fine, I would think," Jellal remarked, just to get under Erza's skin.

It worked.

"Don't encourage-"

"I agree," Natsu said. "But then I would need one of those belt thingies. And how would I incorporate it."

"You have quite the vocabulary to do, Natsu," Jellal said. "Incorporate, inhospitable-"

"I did have the best of teachers, eh, Erza?"

She only frowned at him. "Why are you here? When I left you, Lucy, and Happy at the train station, you were all-"

"The two of them formed a cop and kicked me out of the apartment!"

"A co… A coup." Jellal shook his head. "Never mind. Your vocabulary is back to normal levels."

"What did you do?" Erza hadn't let him off punishment just yet. "Natsu?"

"Nothing!"

"Natsu-"

"I got hungry in the middle of the night, you know, when my stomach stopped being queasy?" He went to claim a seat at the table with a shrug. "And I mighta eaten some rotten meat in the back of Lucy's little fridge, see? And it kinda sorta gave me an upset stomach. They said that I stank! And told me to get out!"

"So you came here?" Erza rolled her eyes before going back to making breakfast. "Why did you not go to your own home?"

"I thought about it, but your place is closer. And I figured you'd be missing me, you know, after getting to spend the whole week together. Didn't know that you and Meredy were back in town, Jellal."

"Only for the day."

"You told Meredy three though," the fire mage argued. Erza glanced back at him then.

"You eavesdrop now?" she asked.

"They talk loudly."

"Yes, well," Jellal slowly said before glancing at Erza. "How does three days sound?"

That only got a shrug as her mind drifted to the damage that Natsu could have done to her costumes and armor.

"If you damaged anything-"

"How could I?" he asked. "All your stuff is, like, practically indestructible! That's how you know that it belongs to you. Nothing short of an apocalypse could destroy it."

Jellal nodded his head in agreement. "He makes a good point."

Though he was not weary of him any longer, it did make Natsu wonder at times why Jellal was always so nice to him. In the few times that they had run into one another since he and Erza had begun dating, he'd always been kind. Not in a condescending way either.

"I think he admires my power," Natsu bragged to Lucy once when he brought it up to her. "Fears going up against me again."

She'd only rolled her eyes. "You're one of Erza's closest friends, Natsu. Of course he's going to try and be a buddy to you. It'll only help him with her."

"Oh." He had been flexing, but dropped his arms then. "Like how you pretend to like Happy?"

"Exactly."

"Hey," the Exceed complained then, though the two mages only giggled.

In that moment though, Natsu was just glad to have the backup. And really, he hadn't destroyed anything of Erza's anyhow, so he didn't know what she was so worried about.

…Oh yeah. Probably the fact that he could hardly even go down to the guildhall without trashing the place.

Maybe she had a good reason to be concerned.

Nah.

"Hey, so are you making me something to eat too?" Natsu looked at Erza with pleading eyes.

"I thought you said that your stomach-"

"It's all better now," he insisted. "Just need something to fill it right back up with."

"Fine," she sighed. "But you go back to Lucy's right after."

He got his fill though before that happened. And Jellal could tell that Erza was a little put out, but he only grinned at her.

"Wouldn't want to be inhospitable," he mocked, "would you?"

"Careful," Natsu warned him. "She'll send you to Lucy's too."

After Natsu left, it was just them again, the afternoon fast approaching, which only meant one thing to him.

Another workout.

Wishing to put that out of his mind for as long as possible, he was glad to find that Erza, having just returned from a mission, had plenty of armor for them to polish and clean.

"So are we going to go out tonight?" he asked at one point as they sat on her living room floor, armor strewn around, each with a rag. "To dinner?"

"If you wish," she said, not glancing up at him. "But do not think that it shall get you out of working out in the evening."

"Never." When she felt his eyes, she had to look up, just in time to catch his wink. "I'll just get a glass of wine in you, huh, and-"

"Never again."

"You say that," he sighed. "But I have to admit, you were quite amusing when you were intoxicated."

"Yes, well, I suppose that is my one weakness."

"One?" He grinned. "You only have one?"

"Name another."

"No thanks," he said, shaking his head before he dropped his eyes once more. "I know how that game goes."

Erza only rolled her eyes before getting back to the dagger in her hand, rubbing her cloth gently across the blade.

"Will you end it tonight then?"

"Hmmm?" He looked at her, but that time she refused to meet his eyes.

"The date," she said. "How many days now has it been, then, since we started it?"

"Too many," he sighed. "I think, Erza, that we can call it now. It only gets sillier."

"Fine," she said, shrugging. "Succumb then to the curse of the third date."

"If we were honest with our math, this would be far more than the third," he said.

"When are we honest with anything?"

He only shook his head at her. "It doesn't matter, just so you know, if it was our thousandth date. You were all I wanted for so long and now I have you. Every odd, quirky thing about you. And I know that you have me."

It was another one of the good ones, her blush then, that only made him smile in return.

"Of course," he said slowly. "I could, at times, do without constantly having to clean all of this armor, but I suppose at this point, that you and all of your things are a packaged deal."

"Well," she said slowly. "Apparently I am donating a sword to a very needy mage."

"Natsu needs many things," Jellal said with a shake of his head. "But a sword is not one of them."

"For some reason, I could foresee it causing him more damage than anyone else."

"Probably."

There was a minute or two in there when they both reached an comfortable silence, where he found himself giving thanks that gauche was no longer something to describe their moments together.

"Hey, Jellal?"

It was her that broke it that time as he only glanced up at her.

"Maybe…maybe you don't wait so long next time, alright?" She was staring at him. "Between visits?"

His eyes went back to the weapon in his hand. "I'll try my best, Erza. But you know-"

"Because," she began again, not allowing him to finish. "It seems that every time yo sow back up, you are severely lacking in the athletic department."

That got a blink out of him.

"Oh?"

She nodded. "I am sorry to say so, but yes."

"Well," he said slowly. "If I write off these visits as training ventures, then I suppose I could squeeze more frequent ones in."

"And perhaps even Meredy could workout with us," Erza said. "I am sure she'll enjoy it. In fact-"

"Erza?"

"Hmmm?"

"Quit while you're ahead."

From that point forth, the workouts became something that he looked forward to, if only because he knew that they were what kept him from admitting that he was breaking one of his vows. That he was giving more of his life to pleasure than he was to punishment.

Because those workouts were plenty painful, he hated to admit. Especially when stacked together.

They practically washed away the fact that he knew every night he was there, in Magnolia, suffering through them, that he'd get to go home to the hospitality of Erza Scarlet and her many, many erotic novels.

Practically.

* * *

><p><strong>I know that this was way late, but I just fell out of the habit of writing for this story. Sorry. But that's the end of it, anyhow. I don't know when I'll be doing another JellalErza fic, but it's definitely not off the table. **

**And anyone waiting for a Parenthood update tonight, it's just not happening. I mismanaged time and only had time to update one thing tonight, so I figured I'd make it this. Sorry. **


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